Dragon Taming
by Sqydd
Summary: A tetralogy of NaLu one-shots.
1. The Pastry Princess & the Cookie Cutter

**Summary -** Lucy Heartfilia, strict owner of the Fairy Tail restaurant, meets her match in the unusual employee Natsu Dragneel.

* * *

 **The Pastry Princess and the Cookie Cutter**

Lucy had never, prior to his ruining her highly-calculated life, heard of Natsu Dragneel, but as she quickly learned, he had a way of making his presence known in the most destructive manner.

She was the manager of the renowned five-star restaurant Fairy Tail, and though she would have preferred a less jocular name, it had already been set by the previous manager, an eccentric old man named Makarov Dreyar. The building was made up of grey stones with fairy sculptures over the door, designed to resemble a castle of older, fantastical times, and inside was full of linen-clothed tables lit by little iridescent will-o'-the-wisps of Macao Konbolt's special "rainbow lights." The place ran like clockwork, methodically and smoothly, and though they had many disconcerted customers due to the "special" staff, there was not one complaint about either the service or the food.

That is, until that spring day in year X791.

The spring menu was slightly different than for the other seasons', as since most had allergies acting up, the options were milder, with less spicy choices and more soups and meats available. She was sitting in her office behind the kitchen making the final adjustments to the Eastertide menu when all of a sudden the door slammed open. She looked up with a frown at her newest intruder. "Gray, I told you to knock before you—"

"I didn't want to waste the time," Gray Fullbuster interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. He was excellent with the chilled dishes, such as the iceberg lettuce salad and desserts, although he did have a problem with clothes—read: he basically never kept them on. At that moment, the only article of clothing on his pale, toned body was his white toque.

"Gray, please, if you don't start wearing clothes while dealing with the food—or walking in front of the customers, matter of fact—then I'll fire you." She didn't mean it, though—he was the best at what he did, even if he did it in his birthday suit.

"We're not here to talk about that—you know it's out my control anyway. Look, I've got a few words about the new guy—"

"What? What new guy?" she probed. Her question was answered straightaway by a crash from the kitchen. Gray moved aside as she stormed past him, bursting through the double doors of the kitchen to find—

"Oh, oh, oh!" a salmon-haired man exclaimed, waving a flaming toque in the air. The other staff moved away from him as he ran past, dunking it into the sink, although his efforts immediately became futile as his chef's coat caught ablaze next. He shouted and made a general ruckus until Juvia Lockser finally had brains enough to blast him with the sink's hose, the pressurized water slamming him into the tiled wall so hard the pots and pans next to him jangled. His senses returned to him moments later while he was standing there, dripping wet and with burnt patches on the expensive white coat, staring at an open-mouthed Lucy through his wet pink fringe.

"Who the hell are you?" Lucy demanded. The others retreated to the storage room in the back immediately and through its door into the parking lot, sensing danger. The man smiled helplessly, pushing hair from his eyes with a hand.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel," he said with a very juvenile grin. "I'm working with the kitchen staff from now on." His easygoing demeanor pissed her off; he behaved as if he hadn't just decimated several hundred Jewels' worth of kitchen property. On top of that, she had no recollection whatsoever of hiring his incompetent ass, not in the slightest. Her cheeks flushed red as she directed narrowed eyes to his wide and innocent ones.

"You," she hissed through her teeth, causing him to blink and point at himself, puzzled. "Yes, you, Dragbert or whatever. My office. _Now_."

"It's Drag _neel_ ," he mumbled, but, detecting a dangerous enemy, he complied and followed her back to her office. There, she collapsed into her leather swivel chair, rubbing her temples. Awkwardly, he followed suit and slid into one of the beige armchairs adjacent her mahogany desk. Water dripped from every square inch of him (and that was a lot considering his height and build) and was probably ruining her carpeting as they spoke, so she sought to make their word quick and to the point.

"Where did you come from?" she grilled after regaining her bearings. Sharp eyes raked over the many portraits of previously Fairy Tail managers before he responded:

"I live on the border of Magnolia. In a forest shack."

"Oh, great, a Wildman," she muttered. He obviously had better hearing than most people because he grimaced. "Why did you come here?"

"Well, I want to become a chef," he replied. "I like to flambé, ya know—"

"Do you have any recommendations?" she interrupted. "Any past work experience? Something but the skin of your back and the dye in your hair?"

"My hair is natural," he mumbled. He apparently had no idea how to lower his voice, because Lucy still heard him perfectly. "Well, yeah, I don't know if this counts as a recommendation, but my old man, Igneel, was a chef here." She instantly sat up straighter.

"Your father is _Igneel?_ " He was legendary, even to a new worker like her. He was recorded as Fairy Tail's ultimate chef as his food was always cooked to perfection, never too burnt or undercooked, and his signature dessert, the Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame—a cream dessert dyed and molded to resemble a fire-based dragon that popped with heat and yet melted warmly into the customer's mouth—was so popular they received dozens of orders per shift. He retired a decade ago—said he wanted to take care of his new family—and she heard he had passed away a year or two ago.

"Yeah." He did resemble photographs of Igneel, from his spiky, unkempt hair to his empty-headed grin.

"Well, I'm sorry for your loss."

"'s alright," he said, dropping his eyes to his fingernails, which were the stubby, cracked ones of a fighter and not a chef, although Gajeel Redfox had similar hands and he was surprisingly good at making toffee with Levy. "Anyway, can I get the job?"

"Well, even if you say that your father was a great chef, it isn't a guarantee that _you_ are, and Fairy Tail has high standards to live up to, if you hadn't noticed."

"No, I'm aware," he said, raising his head with his eyes wide and full of virtue. "That's why I wanna help…to maintain that image, y'know."

"Yes… Although I'm usually a person to reserve judgement entirely on one character despite…pressing appearances," she said slowly, getting a more reserved yet still decidedly crooked grin from the pink-haired _cook,_ "I have to say this: you look like you are unable to boil even the smallest microbe of water. Even if I was to, in fact, overlook that to judge you not by assumptions, you've also made one—excuse my language— _hell_ of an impression so far by not only torching the two thousand Jewel coat and toque, but also damaging similarly-expensive kitchen property." His face fell with each word until he was looking as a child berated for breaking their toys, pushing his index fingers together. "And other than _that,_ you've shown me that you're clearly a fool."

"Is that it?" he inquired awkwardly. She leaned back in the chair and rested her hands on her desk.

"Yes, that's it. Any words in your defense, Dragneel?"

"Natsu is fine," he said. "Well, I wanted to say that yeah, I look and act like a total idiot, and sure I haven't given you a reason to think that I'm competent in any way, but… My dad told me that this restaurant was a place for those with heart, not just those who could cook. He said that anybody that had heart could do anything, and even a brute like him that used to pick the fingernails off his enemies could cook a deliciously sweet cake that everybody loved with those same hands. I just want to be a part of that legacy—it doesn't get more innocent than that." He ended with a shrug, turning his palms out.

"Maybe your intentions are innocent, but I can't—" He clapped his hands together, interrupting her, and bowed his spiked head.

"Please, Luce?" She broke into a mad splutter at the over-familiarity.

" _Luce?_ " He raised one eye to her, that goofy grin still splattered all over his face. What was that supposed to be, anyway? Predatory? Did his canines look unusually sharp as well?"

"I think it's a nice nickname. Don't you?" She was still trying to wrap her head around the man.

"I-If you do somehow work here, I am your boss and not your friend, therefore you will refer to me only as Ms. Heartfilia." He snorted, irking her further, then he caught himself and smiled apologetically.

"That's so stiff."

"It's called _professionalism_. Maybe you wouldn't know about that, dying your hair the color of cotton candy," she said sardonically. His brows furrowed as he had obviously heard the jibe before.

"It's my natural— You know what? Never mind." He lowered his head a little, burying the bottom half of it in his white scarf, which looked very warm for that time of year. "Like I said, I wanna help keep Fairy Tail's good name good. If it helps, I have this…" He went into his coat's inner pocket before handing her a crisp white envelope. She took it, careful to avoid touching his fingertips, and stared at the wax sealing it shut. She hadn't seen a wax seal in a while and especially considering the day and age, but there was one man that she knew who frequently used them—the little dragon's head engraving was also very distinct.

 _Well what do you know…he's actually related to Igneel._

She carefully broke the seal before drawing a pale pink letter from the envelope, smoothing it out on her desk. "To Whom It May Concern," it read, "if you're reading this letter, then I'm unable to be there in person to defend my, err, _unique_ chef of a son. Maybe I've met an early demise, or maybe I'm just busy—which is highly unlikely, but whatever—but whatever the case, I want you to know that while Natsu has most likely already pissed you off to the seventh level of Hell ( _What do you know, he was clairvoyant too,_ Lucy thought with a pointed glance in Natsu's direction), he is a man with a heart as great as a stomach. Maybe he seems to be a moron, which me and his mother will reluctantly agree to, but he has the passion, cheer, and persistence to make up for it. He may not embody _cooking_ as well as a cook should, ironic as it is, but even if he has to work his way up from cleaning the scraps on the ground, he'll do it with a smile on his face. He's surely not what Fairy Tail wants, but I, Igneel Dragneel, being of sound mind and body why does this sound like a will now?, know for a fact that he's what it _needs_ , trite as it sounds. Take my word for it, eh?"

"What's it say? You were giving me a stink look the whole time," Natsu asked. Lucy sighed and stored the letter in her drawer before drawing out a blank sheet of paper.

"You've already filled out the necessary documents?" He nodded with vigor, obviously enjoying the turn that the conversation was taking. With a sigh and a meaningful glance towards whatever god existed, Lucy wrote her final say down before signing the bottom of the paper and handing it over to a beaming young man. "Congratulations, you're our newest janitor."

"Janitor?" he repeated, face blank.

"Start from the bottom and you work your way up. That's how it was for everyone else, including me."

Suddenly he split into the widest, sharpest, most brilliant grin she had ever seen, eyes sparkling. She wondered if Igneel happened to have been drunk as he wrote that letter, because every fiber of her being was telling her that that Natsu Dragneel was a total moron and shouldn't have been cleaning the windows, let alone handling the smallest microbe of food. Still, she had to take Igneel's word for him, but if he ended up proving her wrong…well, she'd best leave that to him to discover.

* * *

"Okay!" Lucy called, clapping her hands to catch the staff's attention. They hushed their mindless chatter and cooking activities to look over at her standing in the archway of the employee lounge, hands on her pencil skirt-clad hips as she let her eyes rake over them polishing up the last of their cooking for the day. Gray was setting the leftover desserts out for grabbers, which they always had an abundance of, and otherwise prepared food was also left, however it didn't have nearly as many takers and doubly as many females as Gray's. (He was awfully popular to Juvia Lockser's extreme dismay.) Elfman was cleaning up bits of raw meat from his station with Evergreen making sure it was sparkling, Cana was checking the wine cellar (which strangely ended up a few bottles short every time), Mirajane and Erza were turning in their serving platters and carts, and the young prodigies Romeo and Wendy ceased speaking to each other about the work day.

"I'm done!" Natsu announced, catching the eyes of her workers. Annoyed, she watched him throw his arms in the air and whoop excitedly when all he did was swish a mop over the tiles. Somehow, Gray was the only one aside from Lucy that was irritated by his behavior, taking the remaining dough and refrigerating it. He grinned over at Lucy while wiping his cheek, inadvertently smearing some flour there from the uncleaned countertop.

"A-nyway," she said through her teeth, catching their attention again. He mouthed an _Oh_ before facing her as well, a semi-serious expression on his face. "Good job as always. I expect no less from my staff. For the new guy," she continued, pointedly avoiding his name, "we've a custom of dining out in the city every Friday night to celebrate a good week of work, and as it's two days away I want you to mark your calendar."

"Roger!" he exclaimed.

"And in other news, a special party will be dining with us tomorrow."

"Who?" Gajeel asked. "Ain't nobody important enough for us ta show out." Levy punched his upper arm, which had about as much effect on him as a zephyr.

"I just wanted to alert you all," Lucy said in a sharper tone. "Even though I don't expect our food to ever be less than exceptional, I want for you all to keep it in mind. The leader of the party is Sting Eucliffe, one of Fiore's more prominent MMA fighters," she explained briefly. A few of the rough-'n'-tough members started whooping and slapped each other shoulders. "And if any of you men even _think_ of challenging him to a fight might as well sign your name on your one-day notice now." They still laughed but calmed down on the challenges. "And that's all. Have a good night," she said stiffly before spinning on her heel and turning towards the exit. She burst into the cool night air, feeling it gently caress her skin with a sigh as she passed through the parking lot. She walked up to her red two-door and shuffled through her purse for her keys, swearing silently to herself as she dropped them.

"Here ya go." A larger, tanner hand reached down and snatched them before she could move, and she raised her narrowed gaze to see that same grin plus its owner dangling them in front of her face. She snatched them away without vocal gratitude, jamming them into the lock. "How'd I do?" he asked innocuously, hands locked together behind his head and one foot behind the other.

"Can't say," she held, and that was the truth—the reason, on the other hand, was another story. Every employee she had so far, even the determined ones such as Erza Scarlet, all, for lack of a better word, sucked in the beginning. Gray froze everything he touched, Elfman pummeled the meats too thin, and Max constantly misread party names so terribly she doubted that he had even a middle-school education. Natsu, on the other hand, started strong at six-o'clock in the A.M. hours, working to carefully scrub the linoleum and every flat surface in the building. He then went on to help wherever else he was needed with almost a religious fervor. He had that sort of burning passion she hadn't seen in a long time. All in all, he was a great, if childish, employee, and that utterly pissed Lucy off.

"Aww, c'mon," he begged, yet his tone was mischievous as she pulled her door open.

"Don't you have a family to get back to?" she quizzed. For the first time that day, the grin slipped off of his face and he honestly looked uncomfortable.

"A house, yeah," he supposed. "And a cat," he added. "His name's Happy. He's a weird blue color—"

"You don't have a family?" she interrupted, uninterested in his pets. "What are you, eighteen? Nineteen? Did you move out?"

"…Eh, something like that." He shrugged and avoided her gaze, his sandals digging little trenches into the loose gravel. She pressed her lips into a firm line before giving him a small nod.

"You did a good job for your first day. Congratulations," she said pithily before sliding into the car. She was inches from closing the door when Natsu stopped her with his fingers.

"Thanks," he replied, then paused for a moment as he scratched his head awkwardly. Lucy let her eyes run over his worn Hargeon Cooking Academy hoodie and jeans before bringing them back up to his face, which was all angles and sharp, onyx-black eyes, and she noticed his large Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "Is there, uh, something on my face?"

"No," she said, snapping herself out of her daze. "Now, if that's all…" He swallowed again before backing away, hands up in surrender. "I'll be seeing you bright and early tomorrow morning. Five a.m. Don't forget, Dragneel." He nodded as she shut the door and turned on the ignition, and with a small, reserved smile in her direction, he was gone, his silhouette dark against the grand building of Fairy Tail.

The drive back to her house felt a lot shorter than usual as Lucy thought hard about that man. He was unremarkable and remarkable at the same time, if that made sense. If anything, he knew how to make a first impression, as she didn't think she could ever forget that face he made as he waved the flaming chef's equipment in a mad attempt to staunch the flames. She landed back at her apartment before she could finish her odd train of thoughts, greeting the landlady as she went up to her place. There, she ate dinner, soaked in a hot bath, wrote a little for her secret novel, then she slid under her covers with a sigh. Tomorrow was going to be interesting, that she could be sure of.

* * *

Her head count came out exactly as she expected it at five-oh-one before noon: one head of pink hair short. Ensuring that they knew their appointed tasks for the day and that nobody would screw up their important reservation, both for the sake of the compensation and the always-appreciated boost to Fairy Tail's reputation, Lucy stood outside of the employees' entrance, just between the parking lot and the front entrance. At exactly six a.m., Natsu Dragneel appeared from down the corner, running down the sidewalk with a blue-furred cat clinging to his head. She wanted to raise her eyebrows at the sight but held her stern expression, arms crossed over her blue blouse as he came breathless and red in the face to the building.

"You're late," she said in a clipped tone as he doubled over to catch his breath. A few customers glanced at them as they entered, causing her to reprimand herself for making such scene outside. Natsu recovered after a moment, the cat meowing at her in greeting.

"I… I can explain…" he panted, eyes wide enough that she could catch some green in their dark depths.

"No need. I gave you an order and you didn't adhere to it."

"I-I'm sorry, M-Miss Heartfilia." He was still out of breath as he lowered himself to his knees and bowed his head. "Please, I'm sorry, so don't f-fire me."

"Meow," his cat pleaded along with him. She was tempted to— _no one else_ messed up on the first damn day—but she remembered Igneel's last wishes, and no matter how much they clashed with her common sense, she owed it to him.

"Get up, you're making yourself look like an idiot—well, more so."

"R-Right, sorry." He stood up in a hurry with his cat complaining. She pointed at it and he laughed a little. "Happy didn't want to see me go for some reason."

"No pets in the restaurant."

"It's okay! He has all his shots and he doesn't shed." He tried to sweep past her but she blocked him with an arm.

"You already tested my patience for today, Dragneel. Do you really want to try me twice in a day? Most people have enough common sense not to."

Natsu gently took his odd kitten from his head and set him on the ground. The cat whom he referred to as Happy meowed at him before setting off, apparently to home. Then he straightened up and opened the door, but he made sure to give her a coronary with one more good-natured statement: "No offense, Miss Heartfilia, but I _really_ think that you need to get laid A.S.A.P."

She legitimately felt a molar crack from the force with which she clenched her jaw. That Natsu had balls of absolute steel, that was for sure, but she was going to find a way to bust them.

* * *

Lucy sunk into her couch cushions with a defeated sigh, feeling more brow-beaten than she could remember. Her disciplinarian father couldn't quell her spirit, neither her sharp-tongued mother, nor any teacher she ever had, but _Natsu damn Dragneel_ managed to in an eight-hour workday and it was…unbelievable, to say the least.

She made him clean toilets at first, which the others referred to as the pits of the job, and any normal human being would've been at least somewhat displeased at the task, but he came out still grinning and told her that it was done, that within the hour he had cleaned every restroom in the building, which Gray and Gajeel quickly confirmed. So she was forced to move him up to dish washing, and although she expected him to break every single plate he landed his hands on, he cleaned them in such a way that even their customers gave plenty of praise. Then she made him a waiter, and his popularity improved as the customers found his easygoing personality "endearing" and he did not botch one single order.

"Why are you so _happy?_ " she finally had to ask when his whistling and near-skipping and maddening grin were giving her diabetes.

"I mean, I don't see a reason not to be," he answered before getting back to work. The final job she could give him was cookie cutter, because it wasn't like he was going to run out of cookies to cut by the end of the workday, but considering that he'd blazed past toilets and dishes, she wasn't going to put it past him. The only thing she could've held to him was the altercations he started with Gray, which evolved into everybody turning into unintelligent apes, but the thing was she couldn't fire everybody, so she settled with an hour of overtime. She came out of her office at the end of that overtime and found them all laughing— _laughing_ with the pink-haired cretin.

"What is so funny?" she probed, practically steaming through her ears. Natsu turned that full-wattage smile on her again, his eyes sparkling with childish endearment.

"I told 'em some stories about when I was a kid with Dad."

"I ain't know Igneel was such a riot!" Macao called from the back of the crowd, nudging Wakaba with another holler. "Natsu, tell the one about the rubber duck again!"

"Okay! Luce, do you wanna hear—"

"No, no, I'm good," she interrupted flatly. "And don't the rest of you have homes to be at? Overtime's up."

"Really? Time flies," Natsu said, taking off his apron and lining up to fold it neatly with the others. Gray shuffled past her with a wave—remarkably, he always managed to find his clothes as they left, but somehow they phased out of existence during the work day—and Levy gave her a shy smile as Gajeel bad-temperedly pushed her towards the door.

"See ya tomorrow, then, Miss Heartfilia," he said. She just gave him a curt nod as he left.

And not to mention the reservation with Sting Eucliffe.

Things were looking good at first. He'd shown up with a plus-one, his best friend Rogue Cheney, but it was an easy accommodation. Everyone was on their best behavior and performed at Fairy Tail standards, even the rougher around them, and their special guests passed on compliments at the service and presentation. Close to closing time, Sting and Rogue had just been given the bill and were about to leave when Natsu approached them. Lucy, standing a bit away from the kitchen doors, saw him through the window and gritted her teeth. "What is he doing?" she hissed, watching him approach Sting and Rogue.

Natsu said something that caused Sting and Rogue to exchange a look, then they went into a more heated conversation. At that point the rest of the staff was huddled around Lucy trying to see as well as the conversation escalated to the three of them standing and gesticulating passionately. Lucy thought that everyone behind her was just about to pass out from holding their breath when, out of freaking _nowhere,_ Natsu threw a punch at Sting. Sting blocked it and kicked Natsu back into the table, which smashed in two at his weight. She was damn near trampled as Gray and Gajeel pushed past her to stop the escalating fistfight, pulling Natsu and Sting apart. Natsu had a black eye and a bruise on his cheek, probably more on his back, but Sting had a broken nose and a split lip, and—he was laughing. Like, dying.

"You're good, man!" he said, holding out his bruised fist. Natsu bumped it with his own even as Gray held him back from the other man.

"Hey, you too! Think I could be an MMA fighter?" he asked.

"Sure. Couldn't take my place though." His friend, Rogue, spotted Lucy and approached her with a slightly embarrassed look.

"He does this often," he told her as she tried to reign in her suspension of disbelief. He handed her a business card and added, "You can send him the bills."

"Thank…uh…I'm so sorry for my employee," she said, but he just waved her off. He grabbed Sting by the arm and shared some choice words with him as they headed through the doors past an awestruck Max.

"I'll be coming back here for you, Natsu!" Sting's fading voice called.

Gray let go of Natsu then, and he laughed for a few seconds more until she grabbed hold of his wrist with fire in his eyes. His laughter stopped cold as his expression dropped. "Kitchen," she said aloud, and the others took their cue to get the hell out A.S.A.F.P. "We're going to have a talk, okay?" she said sweetly, squeezing his wrist.

"Talk," he repeated.

"Yes, _talk_. The only reason I won't fire you and send you out on your ass is because you seem to have turned all of my employees against me, and somehow made yourself the fan-favorite of that man. I just don't—understand— _how!_ "

"How…what?" he probed cautiously, sensing a bomb about to go off. Lucy threw her hands in the air as she turned away.

"In just two days you've turned every freaking person to your side. In the two years that I've worked with Igneel, he had that same weird ability to just befriend anyone and everyone… I just don't understand it, is what I'm saying." He sighed through his nose, scratching his head awkwardly.

"We're just…nice, I guess."

"That's not an answer." She paced across the carpet of the dining room, feeling the soft fibers tickle her feet through her heeled sandals.

"It's the attitude, I guess," he said. She rounded on him, ready to repeat herself, but his wince stopped her. She remembered that he was just in a fight and sighed.

"You should go to a hospital."

"What? Why?"

"Why," she repeated dully. "Are you serious?" He pressed his lips into a flat line.

"I'm…not a fan of hospitals… I just go home and Happy licks my cuts and it really does make them feel bet—"

"Family bathroom," she ordered. He opened his mouth but stopped as he saw her expression. "Now." He followed her to the large bathroom and blinked in confusion as she shut the door. She reached up to a shelf near the door and pulled down a first-aid kit. As expected, most of it was burn cream, but she dug a bit to find a bottle of peroxide and cotton balls, kneeling down on the waxed tiles. "Sit," she told him. He groaned but complied, sitting cross-legged with his back to her. She could see some splinters stuck in-between his shoulder blades alongside more scratches, but mostly it was just more bruising. "You're such an idiot. Why did you do that?"

"Punch him? I wanted to see if I could take him." Natsu's shoulder's tensed as she none-too-gently pulled a splinter free. "Ouch! Gimme a warning, please."

"Three, two—" She pulled another free and he yelped again.

"More warning, please!"

"You wanted to see if you could? What kind of response is that?" she pressed. He shrugged a shoulder.

"I went to culinary school, but that wasn't what I was all about back in high school. I was always gettin' into brawls like that… I wanted to see if I could hold my own against the—owwie!—the real thing. Sorry if you were expecting a real reason—I'm really a heat-of-the-moment guy."

"That's not a good thing," she said in response to his tone. He chuckled a little.

"Well, what about you? Why are you so, uh…? No offense."

"It's a hard job," she said after a moment, pulling the last of the splinters free and beginning to apply the peroxide. He hissed through his teeth at the sensation. "I've got to be the hard one, because otherwise who else? Not Gray, not Gajeel, not Levy, not even Macao and Wakaba, the only real adults here."

"Real adults?" he repeated.

"Compared to me. I'm only twenty-five."

He hummed, turning his head enough to show a bit of his grin. "Me too." She applied the first gauze pad with too much force.

"Why are you so happy about it?"

"Oof," he complained. "I'm always happy, and you should be too. Sure, they work hard when you beat 'em down, but did you ever try laughing with them and seeing what they're all about? I did, and I was only here two days. Did you know Gray's old man drove an ice cream truck around a few countries? or that Mirajane was a popstar one time? or even that Wakaba cross-dresses on weekends?"

"I didn't want or need to know that," she said deprecatingly. Natsu laughed aloud and despite herself she smiled a little, which he picked up on immediately.

"Aha! So you _can_ smile." He grunted as he shifted to face her, his thighs brushing hers through her jeans. "And it makes you look real cute too…yeah," he said, the edges of his grin softening. They were just two feet apart—she could see his face in all detail, like the soft pink strands falling lightly across his forehead and the faint similarly-colored stubble around his chin (well, that was his natural color after all) and those eyes, the black with just a bit of green like the deepest undersea trench— "Lucy? Yoo-hoo, Luce," he said, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "I lost you there for a second."

"What?" She blinked slowly as blood flooded her face from the neck up. She bowed her head to hide it, letting her bangs obscure her eyes. Natsu chuckled and she hit his bruised shoulder. "Turn around, I'm not done yet."

Lucy remembered that workday in vivid detail, blushing and all, and she had the haunting feeling that there would be more days like that to come. Except she wasn't quite dreading them—to her curiosity/horror, she looked forward to seeing Natsu Dragneel at work again the next day.

* * *

Three weeks later, Lucy hurried through her door and slammed it shut behind her, and not a second too late. He knocked on the other end, calling to her as she locked it and collapsed onto her couch, her burning face buried in her throw pillows. Then, to her continued horror, she started crying, which quickly turned into loud sobbing.

She had tried it—three weeks ago, she began interacting more with her employees, and it did pay off. Erza's chilled exterior melted away and she became just a tiny bit too comfortable with Lucy for her liking, but she turned out to be a good friend outside of work with an interestingly strong sweet tooth, namely with strawberry cake that she protected with her life. Lucy and Gray also started hanging out more as he introduced her to obscure music stores and new bands she had never even heard of and avant-garde genres. Elfman liked animals, Levy loved to read, Freed fenced, Alzack and Bisca ran a western-style shooting range…

"Good morning," Lucy said as she walked into work that cursed day. The others greeted her enthusiastically, and the first person to hound her was Levy.

"Lu-chan! Did you finish your novel yet?" she grilled. She had been asking that question ever since she heard Lucy wrote in her spare time.

"Not yet, Levy. Remember, when I'm done, you'll be the first to read it."

"I better be!" she said with a glint in her eye. Lucy looked around to ensure their conversation was private before leaning in closer.

"But ah, in other news…" Levy turned red, already knowing the course of their conversation.

"Y-You know, I still have vegetables to wash…!" Lucy caught her small wrist as she tried to escape.

"Uh-uh, Levy, you're not running away today!" Lucy grinned as she spun her around. Levy's face darkened as she fiddled with the sleeves of her orange dress.

"He, uh… Askedmeoutyesterday," she whispered. Lucy squealed and gave her a hug, catching Gray's attention.

"Oh my gosh Levy I'm so proud of you!"

"L-Lu-chan! C'mon!" She pulled away and went back to the sink, but Lucy noted Gajeel's subtle pat on her head as she passed him. Gray caught her eye as she walked towards her office and motioned her over.

"Have you seen Natsu?" he asked. "We were supposed to meet up for drinks after work yesterday but he didn't show."

"He didn't clock in the last few days," she said, feeling her heart ache at the thought. "He's probably sick."

"Him? He's so slow, it'd take a cold a few weeks to catch up with him," Gray snorted. "I wonder, though… We've been back-and-forth'ing for a couple of weeks now, and he's been to my place a few times, but I don't even know if he lives in the area. He doesn't talk about himself much aside from his weird blue cat—did you see the cat by the way?"

"A couple of times, yeah. He said that he spilled blue ink on Happy?"

"Well that's beside the point. I think he's hiding something."

"Do you think he's a serial killer?"

"No way," he said without hesitation.

"Then I don't see why it's important. What kind of life he lives outside of here isn't my business." Gray, in the middle of knotting his apron, stopped to fully face her, resting his hands on her shoulders to bring her eyes to his.

"It wouldn't be if you had a strictly boss-employee relationship, but that's not the case. You like him, and don't argue otherwise, it's all over your face whenever you see him or even talk about him," he interrupted as she opened her mouth. She shook her head and gently pushed him away.

"Gray, please. Just get to work." She went to her office before he could continue, but as soon as the door was shut she went rooting for his files. She emptied out several drawers' worth of envelopes before she found it, and it turned out to only consist of his application and an old car insurance bill as proof of address. She looked closer and didn't recognize the address at all, even though she'd been through almost all of Magnolia. She decided to pay him a visit…because bosses could be concerned about their employees. Yeah, that was a thing. Not because she was worried for him and wanted to see his smile again. Not at all.

But when her break came and she was driving down the highway with her phone's GPS as a guide, she knew she was lying to herself. She had become closer to all the others in the last three weeks, but Natsu was a completely different stories. He took her to a bunch of cute little cafes and notches around Magnolia to introduce her to new tastes, and similarly to movie theaters and hidden locales with breathtaking scenery, and she could remember the exact moment that she started thinking of their "outings" as "dates"—the moment when, sitting at the edge of a pier in Hargeon, watching the sun play a kaleidoscope of red on the ocean, his hand rested atop hers. He didn't look at her, but she could tell that it was deliberate, and she turned her hand over to intertwine their fingers, and then he smiled and his eyes sparkled and—

She had completely fallen for Natsu Dragneel.

She accelerated just a little, watching the green of Magnolia fade into an obscure outskirt town with smaller buildings melded into Magnolia Forest, which stood between them. Her phone directed her near the heart of the city, and as she drove through the single-lane streets she saw the two-storied homes dwindle to boarded-up one stories. Her heart raced alongside her car as the GPS grew closer…closer…and then it beeped and alerted her that she was there. She slowed to a stop and looked over at the house number marked under Natsu's name. Not only was it boarded up tightly like the others, but it also looked to have been uninhabited for months, a year at most.

 _Natsu…why did you lie?_

She pulled to the curb and threw the car in park, then she dialed his number and waited. It went to voicemail, the sugary one she had gotten used to and even laughed at most of the time: "Hey, you reached Natsu and Happy… Happy, say hi. 'Meow.' Okay, okay. So I'm not here right now, leave me a message and I'll get you, 'kay? Bye!"

"Natsu…" She cursed herself for how sad she sounded, but another try made her sound even worse and she gave up. "Natsu, where are you? Why did you lie about where you live? What are you hiding?" She hung up after that and rested her forehead against the steering wheel. Her eyes just began to burn when her phone buzzed with a text message. She almost dropped it as she fumbled to open the message.

 _CARDIA CATHEDRAL_

It was short without any of his usual emoticons or bad text speak, which struck her as odd. She put the car in drive and turned around, back onto the highway, her heart pounding each mile she drove. The drive back to Magnolia was dizzying and seemed to finish sooner than she expected. She hurriedly parked in front of the church and hopped out. The doors were open, and when she passed through she saw Natsu sitting in one of the front pews. His head was down in his hands but his shoulders tensed as she approached.

"I'm sorry I missed work," he said in a rougher voice than usual. She tentatively sat next to him, so close that her bare thighs brushed against his cargos, but he didn't react. She tried touching his hand next and he pulled away. Even though it wasn't a hurried jerk, it hurt all the same. "I had three sick days, right?"

"Well…right."

"Then I'll be back tomorrow." He didn't seem to want to talk, but Lucy knew he needed to if he wanted to feel better.

"Tell me what's wrong. Please, Natsu." She rested her hand on his shoulder and he visibly relaxed.

"This place calms me," he said in a soft, reverential voice. "I remember when Mom died, I came running here in the middle of her burial… I was just five. I barely knew what was going on. But this place, the stained glass, the quietness… It made me feel better. I thought it would work again today, but apparently not." He fell silent again and she squeezed his shoulder encouragingly.

"I lost my mother and fathers years ago," she told him. "My mother died from sickness when I was just a little kid… My father died from overwork when I was in high school."

"I guess you had to grow up fast. It explains why you were so…disciplinarian."

"I was an adult when others were still teenagers, yes. It wasn't fun at all."

"I can imagine." He exhaled and dropped his hands to his knees. His eyes were pained and he was biting his lip so hard his teeth were slightly stained with red. "Mirajane told you about her sister, right?"

"Yes. Lisanna, was it?" He nodded slowly, taking a deep breath.

"We were a thing back in high school," he started slowly, pulling away from her hand to turn to her. "On-and-off, mostly for sex… We were dumb teens and didn't think farther than that. College happened, then university…we drifted. I didn't see her again until Dad…until Igneel died last year. I…It broke me. He was all I had, all I knew as family… I lost my job because I couldn't focus, and I didn't have money so I lost my place too, and I was just a mess. It took me too long to get over myself—I had already jacked up my life. Then Lisanna came back to help me on my feet, told me to get a job as a cook because I'd already went to school for that, and I figured why not at Fairy Tail? You guys loved Igneel back in the day."

"That address you gave, was that the house you lost?" He nodded.

"The car insurance was for a car I lost too. I'd been staying with Lisanna since then, and she helped me out more than I could believe, and I became able to walk around grinning and making jokes and I thought I could turn myself around."

"But?" she asked quietly. Natsu stared down at his sandals.

"She kissed me yesterday. Said she regretted never getting a real relationship with me back in the days and that she'd still want me if I still want her." Lucy's heart felt like it had been set on fire. She put a hand to her chest as she looked at him, the tears from earlier returning.

"Natsu, don't tell me…" He simply turned away.

"She was my first love."

Lucy was on her feet then, because she couldn't stand to sit there. "I-I'm…" She couldn't get any more words out past her tightening throat and turned away, willing herself not to cry in front of him. Natsu was up as well, but he couldn't catch her as she rushed to her car in record speed. She shut the door just as he came out of the cathedral and reversed out of the parking lot. He met her eyes with a determined expression as she pulled out onto the street, her hands gripping the wheel so tightly it hurt as she kept her eyes and mind on the road. The road, the road…

She got home and collapsed on her couch with Natsu behind her—he was a fast runner, then again she didn't drive too quickly for fear that she'd crash in her state. She just sobbed into her cushions, wondering why, why he was acting that way…as if he liked her…when he had another woman—when he was _living_ with another woman that he loved.

"Lucy? Lucy, open the door!" he yelled, banging his fists against it. "Please! You need to listen!"

"You told me the whole story!" she choked out, wiping her eyes furiously to no avail. "I don't need the gory details."

"No, Luce, jeez—"

"Go away!" she shouted with more venom than she thought she could muster in her state. There was one last bang and he went quiet.

"I'll… I'll, uh, come back when you calm down, okay? I'll tell Gray you don't feel good and won't come back. I'm sorry." There was a softer thud, and if she was hopeful she would've thought he banged his head against the door. "Sorry, Lucy."

She made it to work the next day and even managed to interact with everyone with a convincing fake smile—well, everyone except the obvious. An almost corporeal wall stood between Lucy and Natsu as they worked; they avoiding eye contact, physical contact, and even saying one another's name. They stretched it out for a week until something came up where she had to see him. As the others filed in through the back door into the kitchen, Levy reminding her about her novel and Gray giving her an odd look, she grasped Natsu's shoulder to stop him from entering. Both tensed at the contact, the first in seven days, and when he looked up to meet her eyes, his were so sad.

 _Sad about what? It's not his fault he fell in love…but it's his fault for leading me on._

She bit down her thoughts and pulled him aside, keeping her head straight as she nodded and greeted everyone else in turn. When the last of them were inside she pulled Natsu along with her, shutting the door. She felt his inquisitive eyes burning holes through her pink button-down as she led him to her office. She told him to sit down as she shut the door and he complied, albeit quietly, for the better part of twenty seconds.

"The last time you ordered me around like this," he said, his voice just a little hoarse, "was after I got my ass kicked by Sting. It's a little nostalgic." He gave her a smile that she didn't return as she sat opposite to him at her desk. She held up his employee file and his eyes widened slightly.

"Since the address listed here is no longer valid, I'll need to update your information." She kept her voice tight, uniform.

"Mm… Yeah, sure, I see." He took out his wallet and pulled his driver's license free, handing it to her. She let her eyes linger on his photo for a moment—just as funny and jovial as he always was—before scanning his listed address. _Lisanna's_ address _._ She copied his license in her printer, then she changed the address in his paper file and on her computer for security measure. He kept his eyes on her the entire time, which she pointedly ignored, but she could sense his frustration growing by the second. She had learned a lot of him in the last month, which included his very easy emotional tells. Lucy checked her contacts list to get his phone number, which reminded him of the dozens of texts he'd sent her asking them to talk before he gave up. She was just about to type it into the system when he grabbed her hand. The feel of his calloused skin against her palm was dizzying, as was his stoic stare.

"Natsu, let go of me," she said, her voice hitching a bit. He shook his head slowly, biting down on his lip.

"You didn't let me finish, Lucy."

"You told me everything, Natsu."

"Obviously not, because I said let me _finish,_ " he said with a slight grimace, gripping her hand tighter so she couldn't pull free. "Lucy, you probably know me better as a person than anyone else still alive—you should know that I wouldn't have thrown you around and played with your feelings."

"I don't know you, Natsu," she said quietly. "You never talked about yourself before, not ever until we were in Cardia Cathedral, and you know almost everything about me."

"Almost?" His lip curled as he fought a smile. "You were also a rich kid but decided money wasn't gonna make you so you left your hometown and moved to Magnolia when you were sixteen. You wanted to be a journalist but you decided working here would pay better, but you still write stories and books. You also love cute things, the color pink, cheesy pop songs, and…me," he said in a quieter voice. She felt her face burn with embarrassment and shame.

"Now you know everything," she whispered. He suddenly pulled away, going towards the door, and she thought he would leave until he pounded his fists against the wall so hard they legitimately left cracks.

"Mistake," he groaned, dragging his hand down his face. "It was a mistake." Her heart dropped as she stood.

"What was, Natsu?"

"Everything," he supposed. She felt tears roll down her cheeks and turned away.

"Then you should do what you want," she snapped, expecting him to go running back to Lisanna. "Go do whatever the hell you want if all this was a _mistake._ "

"Really? You're giving me permission to do what I want?"

"I don't know why you need my permission."

"Because I don't think you'd appreciate what I want to do in this state, but whatever." She heard him cross the room and his rough hands were on her face, turning it back to him. His eyes were alight with fire as he gave her a nervous smile.

" _Lisanna was my first love,_ " he repeated the words from before, but before she could speak he quieted her—by pressing his lips against hers. She was so stunned that her every muscle locked up, allowing him to drop his hands to her waist unbidden. " _First_ love, Luce. You're my second, my present."

"N…Na…" she stammered, overwhelmed, tears still running down her cheeks. He frowned as he wiped them away with the sleeve of his jacket, which smelled like smoke and the forest.

"My mistake was not telling you," he continued. "I didn't want to tell you, then you'd find out about Lisanna and freak out… Well, you already covered that, but that isn't saying that not talking to you was a bed of roses… Wait, Lucy, stop crying, please," he pleaded as she cried harder. She hiccupped, then she clenched her fist and decked him in the face, throwing him backwards and onto his behind. "Wha—?" he gasped. She sighed and hit herself next, probably bruising her cheek. "Lucy!"

"You were an idiot," she supposed, "not telling me and going off somewhere and missing work, but so was I by running away instead of hearing your story and believing in you, so we both deserved a good punch."

"Oh," he said, then he burst out laughing. "Oh, wow, Luce, you got a helluva arm! Never would've thought! I'll never do that again if you're gonna hit me another time, that's for sure." He looked unharmed though as he stood, still chuckling, and he held out a hand. "Friends, Lucy?"

She stared at his hand for a few seconds before crossing the room and, balling up fistfuls of his worn polo shirt, stood up on her toes to kiss him, forcing him backwards until his back collided with the door. He started to melt into it when she broke away with a grin. "Is that really all you want to be, Natsu?"

"I didn't, uh, think you'd want to, err— No, not friends," he answered after getting his thoughts together. His hands went on her shoulders, bringing her face back to his. "Definitely not friends."

They were content to stay like that for a while, but Lucy remembered that they were working. She pushed him away as he groaned in complaint, and to her surprise, as soon as she opened the door, a dozen bodies fell through onto the ground in surprise. "You all are lucky you came to work early," Lucy reprimanded.

"We _are_ lucky… We got a free show on the job!" Cana said. Lucy noticed Mira and Elfman pulling Natsu aside from the corner of her eye, but she was immediately restricted by Levy clinging to her.

"Oh, Lu-chan, I'm so happy for you!" she gushed.

"You think we can go on double-dates now, Levy?" Lucy laughed. Gajeel, within earshot of them, looked up with a grunt. Levy flushed slightly and pulled away, allowing Gray through.

"Hey, I'm just glad you feel better now," he said. "It wasn't fun watching the both of you ghost around like zombies."

"It wasn't fun feeling like that either, but—" She stopped for a moment as Erza clapped her on the shoulder, gave her a very serious look and thumbs-up, before walking away. "—but things worked out well enough. I'm glad that they did." Gray nodded and walked away, which was when she noticed that their little exchange happened while he was stark-naked. Gross.

"Lucy," Mira said, suddenly coming to her side and taking her hands. Her blue eyes, usually mirthful, were grave. "Please take care of him."

"Wha…? Of course." Mira squeezed her hands before going away with Elfman, leaving the two of them alone again. Natsu grinned and rubbed his hands together as he stalked towards her.

"So, Luce—"

"Ah-ah." She blocked his incoming lips with her hand. "Work. Remember that, Natsu? It's why we're here." He pouted before smirking, kissing her palm.

"Then I'll see you right after." He stood to face her, that bright and sparkling and annoying grin on his face, his pink hair slightly disheveled, and she felt herself flush as she smiled back at him, and they held their gazes for as long as they could.


	2. Stay Through the Night

**Summary -** Natsu is struck by a peculiar form of Dark Magic that causes him to suffer from his worse fears as soon as he closes his eyes, leaving him sleep-deprived and angry and nearly broken. While the others are out looking for the wizard, Lucy is the one staying back with him.

* * *

 **Stay Through the Night**

"Alright, this is the plan."

The usual suspects—Natsu and Happy, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy—huddled in the bushes near the target of their mission, the Dark Guild: Macabre Viper. The mayor of the nearby town had submitted a request stating that the wizards had been stealing the town's already-sparse supplies and needed to be dealt with. Typically, the group wasted no time in charging in, particularly Natsu, but the mayor had gone through great pains to detail the expert wizards hidden among the weaker ones, so Erza found it reasonable for them to exercise the same caution.

"To hell with a plan," Natsu muttered. "Take 'em by storm, that's my motto. Right, Happy?"

"Aye sir!"

"The mayor was especially frightened of these people, Natsu—don't you think that there's a reason for that?" Erza snapped.

"Don't make him think too hard, Erza, he'll hurt himself before the battle even starts," Gray said. Natsu's eyes flashed but he held himself back, lighting his fists up.

"That mayor doesn't know how strong I am! I'll burn all those dark bastards to a crisp!"

"Natsu, put your flames out or we'll—" Erza was cut off as the foliage around them soon caught fire from Natsu's heat, the tongues of flames skipping across the wood and leaves until all of their cover was up in a blaze of orange and red. Lucy and Gray turned towards the Guild as Erza occupied herself with strangling Natsu, Happy and Wendy being the witnesses to his funeral, and watched a group of thirty-something wizards pour out from the door and onto the sunned dirt.

"Looks like we've got a good fight on our hands," Gray said, jumping straight into the fray. Erza followed him, leaving Natsu lying disoriented on the burnt ground. Lucy left him with Happy as she drew a golden Key.

"Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo, drop these guys!"

"I expect punishment right after, Princess," Virgo said as she appeared with a swirl of sparks. Right after, the ground directly in front of the advancing wizards sunk inwards into a deep ravine. It caught the more slow-minded ones, maybe ten, but the rest leapt over, undeterred. Gray stepped in there and iced the ground, causing a good amount of them to lose their footing and fall on their faces.

Erza re-equipped into her Heaven's Wheel, and with a cry of " _Blumenblatt!_ " she pierced the downed wizards, taking out half of them easily with her single attack. Wendy knocked out a couple with her Sky Dragon's Roar, but another came up behind her while she was occupied, hands alight with purple fire.

"Wendy!" Lucy called, but Natsu beat her to the punch: He decked the wizard so hard he skidded across the battlefield and nosedived into Virgo's lingering pitfall. She sighed and remembered that everyone there was completely insane and could care for themselves. "Virgo, gate closed. Open, Gate of the Lion—"

"Did you call me, my lady?" Loki purred, manifesting on one knee with his hand out. "Your guardian lion, at your service."

"Skip the dramatics, will you, Loki?" Lucy sighed as she changed to her Leo Star Dress. He rose with a smirk as he faced their opponents.

"Of course."

Macabre Viper was, as majority of guilds, no match for Fairy Tail. Still, Erza's warning about the wizards stuck in Natsu's brain as he used a water mage to beat down a fire mage (whose fire absolutely _sucked,_ by the way) leaving just a few wizards standing. The one that cornered him was tall and smelled like a man, but he was cloaked so Natsu couldn't actually tell. "Mm, Natsu Dragneel, I've wanted to test your strength for a long time."

"Yeah?" Natsu smirked, banging his fists together. "Well, count yourself lucky—you're gonna feel my fists firsthand!"

"Natsu, don't," Erza started, but he pushed her away and into Gray without even thinking of the consequences. He was ready for the challenge, and he'd take it by himself.

"You can try," the man responded evenly. Natsu clenched his jaw as he swung his blazing fists, but his opponent dodged easily. He ducked and tried to kick the man's feet out but he jumped out of the way and connected his boot with Natsu's cheek, sending him gliding across the dirt. "Hmm… I'd rather do this to Titania, but you're just as much of a threat that needs to be taken out."

"Take _me_ out?" he repeated, jumping to his feet. "I think you need to wipe the sleep from your eyes. Fire Dragon's _Roar!"_ He raised one hand and erected a shield that effortlessly sliced Natsu's attack in half, then he dispelled the shield into shards of Dark Magic that shot through the air like blades. Natsu dove to the side and avoided most of them, but the last one hit him in his guts, piercing all the way through. He gasped at the pain and saw blood bubble up and stain a wide circle in his jacket.

"At least one of us will be getting sleep," he said cryptically, waving his hand again. The colors of his body melded together until he was entirely black, then he blended into the shadows at their feet and disappeared. Natsu shouted as the pain intensified, making it feel like liquid fire was running through his veins and not the good kind—

"Natsu!" Lucy cried, recoiling at the sight of the shard protruding from his stomach. It was like a sword, it was so long and sharp, and the Dark Magic was slowly fading as it went into his body. "Wendy, you have to—"

"I got it!" She dropped to her knees and pressed her hands to his chest. Energy transferred in a consistent stream from her to him, but Natsu's jaw was still tightened as he tried to hold back his groans of pain. His eyes were scrunched shut as sweat poured down his forehead and blood was staining his chin from where he was biting into his lower lip with his canines. Lucy covered her mouth in shock, her heart racing from seeing him in so much agony, so much blood pouring out of him and wetting the dirt. It looked like he was…like he was…

"Lucy, get a grip!" She felt a slight pain in her wrist as Gray grabbed it, bringing her back to reality. He was looking at her with concern and she shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm not the one hurt."

"Natsu's going to be _fine._ If it ain't Erza or me taking him out, then they're too weak to bash his ash-filled head in," he said, trying to reassure her, but she was watching Wendy apply more and more energy ineffectively. It didn't help that Happy was sobbing next to Natsu's head. Lucy bent down to take him in her arms and he gripped her collar to blow his nose into her top. She normally would've found it absolutely disgusting, and she still did, but she found it warranted.

"He's not getting better," Wendy finally gasped, pulling away. "We have to take him back—ask Porlyusica—"

"But the fastest way is by vehicle, and he won't survive his motion sickness," Lucy pleaded. Erza and Gray exchanged a miserable look, then Erza exhaled and, clasping her armored fist, hit Natsu in the intact part of his stomach. He gasped in pain before falling back on the dirt, immobile.

"It'll be easier now," she said monotonously, slinging one of his arms over her shoulders and putting her arm around his waist. "Let's go, and hurry."

* * *

 _"_ _N-A-T-S-Y… No no no, that's not how Daddy spells it…"_

 _"_ _What are you doing, Natsu?" Natsu felt a large, scaly snout nudge at his shoulder and he giggled at the sensation._

 _"_ _S-S-Stop, Daddy!" Igneel snickered and scraped along his bare back, causing him to fall on his stomach with laughter. "L-Look, I can—ha-ha, stop! I can write my name, see?" Next to their cave, he had scratched N-A-H-T-S-Y-U into the dirt with a stick. Igneel scratched his chin as he looked it over._

 _"_ _That's not quite right, Natsu."_

 _"_ _It's not?" he asked, eyes wide._

 _"_ _No, it's more like…" Igneel started to write it for him but Natsu swatted his burly hand away._

 _"_ _No! I'm gonna do it myself!"_

 _"_ _Well, okay." Igneel rested his head on the dirt as Natsu tried several times to get his name right. He focused hard, and finally he managed N-A-T-S-U._

 _"_ _I… I did it! Look, Daddy, I did it!" He turned with a wide grin on his face, but Igneel was gone. "Daddy?" He looked around and suddenly the cave he called home was gone too. There was simply an empty field in the hot sun that couldn't quite match the growing emptiness in his chest. "Igneel?" he whispered, warm tears rolling down his cheeks as he clenched his fists. "IGNEEL! WHERE ARE YOU!?" he shouted to the heavens and to whoever would listen._

 _"_ _Gone… He's gone…" a distant voice whispered. The sun slowly faded until he was alone in darkness. "He didn't want to be around you anymore, so he left… Soon, all the others will leave too, once they get sick of you…"_

 _"_ _Stop lying!" Natsu roared, flames streaking from every bare inch of his body as he took off running. A vague silhouette that seemed familiar appeared a short distance from him, but no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't catch up._

 _"_ _Maybe you're just the one lying to yourself," that odd voice said. "Face facts, Natsu: no one wants to be around you."_

 _"_ _STOP!" He came to a stop, furiously wiping his tears with his scarf, and turned around. The Fairy Tail building was there and he ran for it eagerly, glad to see some familiarity. He burst through the doors with his usual energy but this time, no one looked, no one greeted him. He looked at Mirajane, who was too busy wiping cups, and then to Wendy and Gajeel, who were in an animated conversation, and even Ice Prick wouldn't give him a second glance from over his beer. The cold emptiness in his chest grew and tightened simultaneously until it choked him completely and left him scratching at his throat. He didn't want to believe that they were tired of him, but…_

 _There they were, the two people that would never—could never—get sick of him. Lucy and Happy were sitting at a booth in the corner, Happy munching a fish and Lucy busy with her nose in a book. Natsu raised his hand and tried to call to them but his voice failed him. He took a step forward, and as soon as he did the floor fell away, sucking him in. He scrabbled forward, fingers clawing at the floorboards, feeling the sting of his nails breaking as he tried to pull himself forward—forward—_

Natsu sat up so quickly that his stomach knotted in protest. He clutched it with his eyes wide, and he didn't have time to take in his surroundings before a trash bin was shoved in front of his face. He gratefully chucked into it until his breakfast and lunch were staring him in the eyes. The action left him so beat that he was about to let the bin hit the ground before it was snatched from his hands and placed a safe distance away. Then small, pale hands were around his, squeezing slightly in concern.

"Natsu…are you okay?"

He recognized that voice. Hell, he would've had to been Gajeel's level of hardheadedness _not_ to. It was the voice that was always irritably following him out of her apartment, but also the voice that was sore with tears crying about her father. He blinked around him and saw that he was in the guild's infirmary. He then looked down and lifted the blanket that was set over his legs, seeing the thick bandages wrapped around his waist. It took only a second for him to remember why he was in that position—well, the pain helped too. He slammed his fists down on his legs.

"Damn! How'd I lose to that guy? I shouldn't have…"

"Natsu," Lucy said apprehensively. He saw that she kept her grip on his hands and breathed, relaxing them.

"Sorry, Luce."

"How…are you feeling?" she continued, searching his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm kinda banged up, but no worse than usual, right?" He tried to grin but his heart wasn't into it. She noticed—she noticed a lot of things.

"Happy, wake up." He looked down and saw Happy curled up in her lap, his fur stained with tears. Happy slowly opened his eyes and gasped, and immediately Natsu got a face-full of fur and smelled everywhere he had been—gross.

"Naasshuuuu," he sobbed, "yer awaaake!"

"Yeah, buddy, did ya think that that pushover would get me?" He pulled Happy from his face and scratched that special spot behind his ear, but even that didn't calm him down.

"You were asleep for three days, Natsu! I wuuzzz shooo scaaared!"

"Three days?" he repeated dumbly, lowering Happy to his lap.

"Mm," Lucy confirmed, eyes on her boots.

"Well, damn. I guess I got knocked harder than I thought, huh?" He shifted Happy to the bed as he swung his legs to the floor, and with a grunt he stood upright. Lucy rushed to her feet but honestly, he was fine—he was used to that post-battle ache, and the stab wound wasn't even too bad. "It's okay, Luce, I'm fine."

"Natsu, you don't understand," she started, blocking him as he walked towards the door. He raised his eyebrows as she held her arms out, completely barring his way. "The reason you were unconscious so long…and why we were so worried…is because that attack didn't just wound you. There's Dark Magic in your body stuck where we can't get it out. Porlyusica's working on taking it away, but for now we have no idea what it'll do to you—"

"You know what Lucy? You're gonna give yourself grey hairs with all this worrying you do," he said, resting a hand on her head. He silently noted how soft and silky her shiny hair was to the touch as she looked up at him. "I got this under control, okay? Trust me when I say that I'm perfectly one hundred percent grade-A alri—"

He didn't get the time to finish before the door slammed open, throwing Lucy against the wall, and two idiots teamed up to deck him in the face. He was tossed all the way back to the farthest wall of the room so hard that he saw stars, but they quickly jumped out of reach as he was brought up to the eyes of the she-devils and oh gosh he was going to have to plan his will _way_ before he thought he would. "Naaatsu," Mira sang, although Erza wasn't nearly as genial.

"Natsu," she snarled like a threat of war, and it might as well have been. "You _idiot!_ If you hadn't tried to fight _alone_ —"

"I-I'm sorry!"

" _Sorry?_ You'll be praying for a sound death when I—"

"Erza," Mirajane warned, pushing her away and gently helping Natsu to his feet. He thought that he had gotten off easy until he saw a flash of Sitri in her eyes. "Now, Natsu, please explain to us why you made that decision."

"Yeah, but…where's Ice Princess? and Metal-head? They're usually here when I get bashed."

"They're out looking for the wizard that cursed you," Mira explained. "From the last report that they sent, we gathered that his name's Arman Sylph and he's an infamous dark wizard. We haven't found out his magic yet, and we can't figure out what he did to you either."

"I'm sayin' that I'm completely fine!" he said, pounding his chest with his fist. "His magic ain't do nothing to me."

"Really? Nothing at all?" Erza quizzed dubiously. "You've felt no ill effects?" He thought about his nightmare for a second, but everybody had nightmares, even Igneel—it wasn't a huge deal.

"Nothing."

"You're still going to rest," she said determinedly, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him to his feet. He didn't get a say in it as she walked him back towards the bed and roughly-gently forced him to lie down, Mirajane not making any moves to stop her. "And if I see you trying to go anywhere, I'll _make_ you sleep," she added, a dangerous glint in her eye as she held up her fist.

"Yes ma'am," he squeaked as she turned away with a huff, not noticing Lucy still stuck between the door and the wall holding her nose. Mira gave him a stern look and passed Lucy a pink handkerchief on her way out.

"So now you have a reason to stay still," Lucy said, holding the handkerchief up to her nose. He smelled blood coming from it and sat up.

"Lucy—"

"It was an accident, I'm fine," she interrupted with a smile. "I've gotten worse injuries in one of the guild's bar fights." Natsu felt Happy pawing at his chest and picked him up.

"Erza said you gotta rest, so you gotta," Happy told him.

"Oh c'mon, not you too, Happy!"

"He's concerned, Natsu—we all are." She took Happy from his hands. "Please, for us?" He snorted and buried his face into his scarf.

"For me?" she tried again, eyes wide.

"Well…maybe for you…"

Natsu was as stubborn as an old mule, and Lucy didn't expect him to listen to _her_ of all people—not when he made a point of crashing her apartment literally every other day with no regards to her warnings—but he went to sleep of his own volition, remarkably. She watched him sleep and wow, his face was a lot more relaxed—it made him look younger…cuter. "What?" she exclaimed aloud, shaking her head.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Happy questioned.

"I don't know, I'm just being weird—wait, don't respond, I walked into that. I'm just…worried for Natsu."

"Natsu is strong," he supposed, but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than her. "Natsu is strong…"

"Yes, he is," Lucy agreed, because Natsu didn't want or need the whole guild losing sleep over him. "Let's go. I'll buy you the fattest carp I can find down at the fish market, aye?"

"Ah… Aye," he said, smiling slightly.

"C'mon, Happy, smile. Natsu won't want to see you looking so sad." Lucy scratched his stomach and he grinned, leaning into her touch. "Aw, you're so cute when you're not clawing up my furniture."

"Aye…"

* * *

On her way back from Natsu's house (where she left Happy with two fish for good measure) she opened the guild's doors to be met with a larger riot than usual. She stepped inside and gasped in alarm at the distinct scorch marks painting the bar, floor, and ceiling, and then she was forced to duck as a blast of Juvia's water put out a lingering flame in the corner. Sure, Fairy Tail had several fire wizards, but there was only one that had that much destructive capability.

"Lucy-san!" Wendy said, relieved, as she came over with Charla at her side.

"What did he do?" she inquired immediately, not even bothering to clarify. Wendy shrugged with a panicked expression.

"He just woke up shouting and lost control!"

"Losing control isn't a first for him, but he wouldn't let loose so much in the guild on a good day. Was it the Dark Magic?"

"I sensed traces of it, yes, but he was completely in control."

"He just seemed frightened," Charla continued. _Natsu, frightened?_ Those words almost gave her ears nausea, they were so ill-suited together.

"Well? Where is he now?"

"He ran away, and good thing too—the guild couldn't handle much more." She huffed at the end, waving a paw at the desolation he left.

"We don't know where he went," Wendy said agitatedly. "And in his condition, we don't know what he'll _do_ either." Lucy could see their predicament.

"Did Gray and Gajeel come back? or did they call with more information, at least?" They shook their heads.

"Levy is trying to find information in the library though," Wendy said hopefully. "But nothing yet."

"Hmm," she muttered, disappointed. "Well, I don't think I can help with…this situation…" she held, looking around at the ravaged guild hall, "but I'll go look for Natsu."

"Magnolia is big, Lucy-san—he can be anywhere!"

"No worries, there's one place he's bound to be at." She wished Wendy good luck and dodged a stream of water that struck perilously close to her ("Sorry-not-sorry, Love Rival!") as she left.

 _What could be wrong with Natsu?_ she pondered. She hated to think of him in pain in any way, even if getting into fights was his modus operandi. It suited him far more to be bouncing off the walls, black-green eyes glittering at the prospect of a day's new excitement, rather than bedridden, or in that case, going batshit insane. Even his intensity, which burned as hot as the fire he manipulated, was a better idea; having him speak of Fairy Tail, or of his friends, or when he gave her that knee-weakening grin and promised things would be okay… She flushed at the thought, nearly stumbling on the edge of the canal. "Hey Blondie, get your head out of the clouds!" the local sailor called.

"It's okay!" she re-joined, covering her face. Why was she thinking that way of Natsu? He was brash, obnoxious, obtuse, loyal…caring…handsome…and his eyes were harsh and fiery but also warm and open at the same time…and the curve of his full lips— "Wake up, Lucy!" she said, slapping her cheeks. "This is _Natsu Dragneel_ we're talking about, the man who'd sooner pick the dinner over the date! Even _if_ we were crazy enough to just slightly, possibly, maybe sort of _like him,_ it wasn't like he was going to like her back.

She ambled into her apartment, greeting the stoic landlady on her way to her usual successes ( _*angry grunting as acknowledgement*_ ) and opened her apartment door, already braced for the sure signs of defacement that would soon be followed by massive repair bills. Instead, she was received by her silent living room. She shut the door quietly, looking around and expecting, who knows, the Devil himself to leap at her and wake her up from her dreams of hush. The kitchen, her bathroom, her study… All was quiet and still. That left her bedroom, surely the belly of the Beast. She opened the door with bated breath, a shrill scream readied in her throat, and—

"Natsu? Why are you _crying?_ "

She wouldn't have believed it without seeing it with her own two eyes, but there it was: Natsu was sitting on the edge of her bed, half of his face buried into his scarf, and he was shaking from the force of his sobs as he rubbed furiously at his eyes. She hesitated for just a moment before instincts kicked in and she sat next to him, pulling him under her arm. He was taller and bigger than her, yes, but his slouching helped, and being close to her helped him calm down a bit. "S-Sorry for breaking in," he mumbled thickly.

"It's okay." _I mean, you do it literally every other day. Why start apologizing now?_ "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I—" He cut himself off with a swear, looking down at his sandals. "Igneel said that men don't cry."

"Even adults cry sometimes, Natsu. It's okay." He stayed silent anyway, sucking up his sniffles until he gave his last snort and finally looked up. She gave him an encouraging smile and squeezed his shoulder. "Now, what's the problem?"

"Nightmares," he whispered, and it was the quietest she had ever heard him speak.

"Just nightmares?" He shook his head vehemently, voice rising in pitch.

"Not just nightmares! Horrible, horrible ones that—" He cut himself off, grabbing his head as if holding it together. She suddenly became very aware of the dark bruises under his eyes, potent marks of sleeplessness.

"Natsu?" He seemed to break under her gaze, his already-shattered expression darkening even further as he stared at his fingers like foreign entities.

"I-I can't describe them," he said after a moment. "But they're really bad, Lucy. I can't… I can't sleep. I don't _want_ to sleep."

"Natsu— Wait, maybe this is it."

"What's it?" he said dejectedly. She grabbed his shoulders with a movement so sudden it caused him to jump.

"Maybe this was what Arman Sylph did to you with his magic. This is a great clue, Natsu—I just have to tell the others and maybe they can find more information, namely a reversal spell." His eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Aha!" She suddenly found it very hard to breathe as he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, his muscles flexing against her arms from the strength of it. She could feel his scarf, still damp with his tears, against her cheek, but more so she got a mouthful of his Natsu scent: smoke, bacon, and sweat; three different odors that completely summed up his character and stuck to him in a way that was not at all unappealing. "Thanks so much, Luce! You're like, you're like my saving angel!" She faltered, fingers curled, then she gradually returned the hug.

"It's… It's no problem, Natsu." Pat, pat. "No, really, it's what friends do." Somehow, that word burned like his flames.

He pulled away all too quickly, making her yearn for his warmth again. He smiled self-consciously as he scratched his head. "You won't, uh, tell any of the guys about…y'know…will you? _Especially_ not that Ice-Prick—he'd _never_ let me live it down!"

Lucy's eyes widened a little as something occurred to her: she'd never seen Natsu crying because there were entire sides of him that she never saw period. Sadness, for instance—he became stoic over shedding tears, such as after Future Rogue or when Éclair died—and worry—he woke up and didn't appeared concerned at all about the Black Magic in his system—and several emotions more. The only things she'd seen of him were what everybody expected: anger, joy, just the extremes. He must have been holding a lot inside of him, probably just for Happy's eyes, but she couldn't understand why.

"Huh? Hey, yoo-hoo, Earth to Luce, come in Luce." She blinked as she realized he'd been waving his hand in front of her face for a while. "Wow, thought I lost you for a second," he chuckled. "What's goin' on up there?"

"N-Nothing…" He tilted his head to the side curiously but she gave him a smile she hoped was easing. "And a-anyway, you must be starving!"

"Ah! I could eat," he supposed faux-innocently, rubbing his stomach with a grin. "Reminds me—where's Happy?"

"He's at your house. He has fish, so I think he'll be fine."

"If he has fish, he'll be fine even if the world ends," Natsu agreed. "But it's okay—fish is his special thing, and I have…" Lucy's face burned as she filled in the sentence in her perverted mind, although Natsu trailed off at the end. "Wow. Hey, Lucy, are you alright? You're acting _really_ spacey."

"It's nothing," she murmured, covering her face so he couldn't see her blush. His calloused fingers went around her wrist, pulling a hand from her face and— Gods he was _so damn close._ "Natsu! Personal space!" she cried. He didn't move though, and he was close enough for her to count his pores. "I-If you don't back off I won't give you any food!"

"What?" That put him across the room and she sighed with relief. She went to her kitchen and he followed behind her, as obedient as a dog. Well, that wasn't totally incorrect—he was steadfast, fought for his friends, and had a three-second attention span unless given a blatant command. She already had a pot of tomato soup on the stove from earlier, so she simply warmed it up a bit and added a couple of slices of buttered bread before serving a bowl to him. "What's this? I want meat," he grumbled. She attempted to hit him in the forehead with a spoon but he caught it easily, damn his reflexes.

"Well take it or leave it," she said as she took up her communication lacrima.

"Humph," he groused, but leaned against the counter to drink anyway. She went to the living room before making the call back to the guild, and amazingly, it was Gray that answered.

"Gray? You're back? What news do you have?"

"Nothing too helpful," he snorted. He looked worse for the wear, scratches and bruises decorating his pale skin, and Wendy was hard at work healing him with Charla reminding her not to push her limits. "There was a little trap set at the guild to make sure we couldn't get any valid info out of it. The whole place was burned with some kind of Black Magic—Gajeel and I barely got out intact." He shook his head in disappointment. "Whatever the guy did, we're not getting any clues sometime soon."

"That's why I called. Natsu said that he's been having nightmares—maybe that's an effect of the magic?"

"Hmm… Possibly," he agreed. "I'll drop the hint to Levy and see if she finds anything."

"But is he okay? If _he's_ having nightmares, that's no joke." Gajeel suddenly took the lacrima from Gray's hand and shouldered him out of view as he grunted his complaint. She would've tried moving away, but with Natsu's hearing she'd have to be across the world for him not to listen in.

"What do you mean?"

"He there with you?" She nodded and Gajeel sighed. "I know he'll come kick my ass for this, or at least try his hardest, but I'll tell you now. Look, he acts all smiles and shit around us, but remember that he was abandoned by Igneel long time ago. He had no idea where he went or why he even left, and he was just a kid back then—we all were. I know as a fact that that _hurt,_ and that hurt just doesn't pop outta existence no matter how long you live. So, keep an eye on him, Bunny Girl."

"I—"

" _I_ don't need _watching,_ Metal-brains—I'm an adult." Suddenly Natsu was over her shoulder, his hand over hers as he turned the lacrima towards his face. He kept his expression blank but his jaw was clenched as a dead giveaway to his anger. "So worry about yourself and your problems." He hung up and dropped the lacrima so fast Lucy barely had time to catch it.

"Natsu!" she hissed.

"What? It's true," he said semi-defensively, crossing his arms over his chest. It was one thing to have Lucy fretting and nagging—he thought it was kind of cute, and he was used to it—but he _didn't_ need the whole guild and their mothers tripping over his case. "And anyway, I'm done eating—I'm gonna go home and check on Happy." He swept past her and towards the door—why not the window? He confused himself slightly as he grabbed the knob. "See you tomorrow." And he left.

* * *

" _Somnus Enim Virum_."

"What?" Natsu and Gray asked simultaneously, instantly sparking a fistfight between them because 'I don't want to think the same as you, you scatterbrained bastard!' that sent them flying from the barstools and into the usual midmorning brawl. Lucy and Erza rolled their eyes before pressing into Levy as she adjusted her glasses to get a better view of the textbook's page.

" _No sleep for heroes,_ is the translation," she continued, looking up. "Short version: the spell drags out the victim's worst fears to plague them when they sleep."

"So, nightmares," Erza clarified. Levy nodded.

"Is there a fix?" questioned Lucy. Natsu had already gone thirty-six hours refusing to sleep and it showed more and more. He was constantly on the edge, ready to fight for stupider reasons than usual, and even in a fight he was almost terrible enough for her to take on with just her whip.

"Mm… Yes," she said, and the two of them sighed with relief. "The caster has to revoke the spell."

"So we simply find this Arman Sylph and force him to release the spell," Erza said, throwing her fist into her armored palm with a loud crash of metal on metal.

"Well, saying it is the easy part. He took off, didn't he?"

"We can use tracking magic," Lucy recommended. "It'll shorten the time exponentially."

"And perhaps Porlyusica can provide him a short-term remedy as well," said Makarov from the other end of the bar. He hit the ground with a tired sigh. "I'll go put the call in to her now. Hopefully, she's in a good mood." He went to his office while the others remained at the bar.

"The usual will go catch him, right?" Mirajane inquired, coming over with a tray of drinks. "Erza, Gray, Wendy, Natsu, Lucy—"

"Natsu can't go," Lucy objected. "It doesn't look it, but he's too tired to fight one hundred percent."

"Then we'll need someone to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't run off anyway." All eyes fell on the usual victim. Lucy opened her mouth to protest before Erza caught her hand, bowing her head.

"Please, Lucy."

"I… Fine, I'll watch him." _He really is the guild's dog._

* * *

 _"_ _Alright! Happy, you know the drill," Natsu said as he and Happy entered Lucy's apartment a la the usual window._

 _"_ _Aye sir!" Happy flew off to raid the fridge while Natsu went to Lucy's room. He spotted her sleeping under the covers and grinned, quietly moving until he was just parallel to her bed. Then he grabbed her shoulder and turned her onto her back._

 _"_ _Ha! Scared ya, huh?" His jaw dropped and his blood ran cold when he realized she wasn't going to respond. He released her and jumped away, but that didn't change the sight of blood running from her closed eyes and mouth, down her pale skin and around her still chest. He reached for her once more before pulling away, then he ran from the room before the smell of blood could hit him. "Happy! Happy!" he called, heart pounding as he went to the kitchen. His sandals skidded across the wood as he came to a stop. He saw a trail of feathers—_ Happy's _feathers—leading into the kitchen, and they were all glued to the floor with blood. He swallowed, backing away. His head hurt, his heart hurt, he didn't want to see— What was going on—_

* * *

Five days had passed since Natsu first woke and the others were still on the mission. Moreover, Natsu's presence was little welcomed those days. He was always angry, always quick to pick a fight even with the innocents, and his fire was frequently getting out of control. Even Happy was prone to bursting into tears around him with his newly-discovered acidic tongue, and that was saying a lot. Without the usual muscle of the guild around to keep him in check, Elfman and Mirajane were reaching their wits' end.

"Good morning, Mira," Lucy greeted as she entered the guild. Mira smiled back but looked frazzled as she poured a round of drinks. "What's, uh, going on?"

"The same thing that's been the usual for a few days now," she answered. With scary reflexive timing, the two women ducked to avoid another gush of water that splashed yet another wild flame.

"Did it wear off _again?_ " Porlyusica couldn't do anything for Natsu's irritability—hell, it would've been a miracle if she could've—but she did come up with a quick potion to nullify his magic until the others could cancel the spell. However, it seemed that the potions worked less every time to the point where they all gave up. Besides, even if he couldn't roast the guild alive, he still had two good fists, and the men sustained more than enough bruises as proof.

"Yes," she sighed, then she slid Lucy a plate of flaming chicken. "Pass this to him please? He didn't eat all day and he refuses it every time I give it to him." Lucy had already stopped questioning her guild-given title of Natsu Whisperer.

"Yeah, I'll try." She took up the plate and looked around, although it wasn't an effort to find Natsu's corner. It had almost been reserved for him at that point—nobody else sat in the booths for a few feet around and the scorch marks there were particularly thick. He had his head on the table and was breathing heavily when she approached. "Hey, Natsu, I got some fire chicken—"

"Don't…want it…" he said in the listless manner that had become his usual speech.

"Come on, Natsu, you can't starve to death," she reasoned. He raised his head just enough for her to see his bloodshot eyes.

"It'd be…better than this," he muttered.

"No. You're going to eat this and eat it now." She held his gaze staunchly until he groaned and picked up a piece of chicken.

"Thanks, I guess."

"Where's Happy?"

"At home," he alleged between bites. Happy had been spending a lot of time there while Natsu conversely spent a lot of time at the guild. They were best friends, sure, but even Natsu knew how much of a douche he was being and he didn't want to subject his buddy to it. On the other hand, Lucy was still as patient with him as ever unlike the others. Why? He finished eating and sunk back down against the table. "What's…the… What's the report from Ice-prick and them?"

"No luck," she replied dismally, both of them sharing a disappointed sigh. "They did get a clue leading them to Hargeon though, so maybe—"

" _Maybe maybe maybe_ ," he scorned. "I'm hating that word now." She ignored that.

"—maybe they'll catch up there. This wizard though, he's smarter than we anticipated."

"It doesn't take much to be smarter than you guys." She started getting frustrated.

"Natsu!"

"What? Do you want me to smile and nod?" he hissed, glaring at her. "I want _actual good news,_ damn it!"

"We're _trying,_ okay? That's the good news."

"Well it's—it's—" He was already spitting fire as she spoke, and Lucy tried moving away, but he was on his feet in a second with his fists tightened. "It's NOT. GOOD. ENOUGH!" he bellowed, flames spewing from his mouth and collecting in his corner. Lucy raised her arms to protect herself as a flash of light appeared, and she was knocked to the ground at the same time as Natsu's pained groan.

"Watch it!" Loki snarled as he held Natsu pinned to the ground. "You know you can't control your magic so _calm down_ before you hurt—"

"Ow!" Both of their heads swerved around to Lucy so fast she thought they got whiplash. She winced and felt tears pool in the corners of her eyes as she stared at the long scorches marring her arms and the backs of her hands. They didn't seem deep, thank the gods, but they _hurt._

"Lucy," Natsu whispered, trying to get up, but Loki stopped him with a punch. A few guild members had to pull them apart as Mira hurried Lucy over to the infirmary.

"Oh, Lucy, I'm so sorry," she said, even though it wasn't her fault. Lucy felt warm tears run down her cheeks as she bit down on her lower lip, trying not to cry out from the intense burn. Was that what Natsu's victims felt like when he struck them? It was a scary thought. She couldn't hold back her hiss as Mira gently applied a burn salve. "Since Wendy's not here, this will help you heal faster."

"Mirajane… I don't think Natsu can last much longer like this," she said softly as Mira bandaged her arms. The pain ebbed away to a dull throb with the addition of the magic salve.

"Me neither," she agreed. "But the only way to get him to stay asleep is with magic, and that would just force him to go through the nightmares with no escape. He'll break."

"He'll break anyway," she whispered, dragging a hand down her face. She wondered what they could do—what she could do to help him.

* * *

Lucy hummed quietly to herself as she brushed her teeth to prepare for the night. She had already changed into her pink pajamas and squeezed the last few words onto her manuscript. She always felt a little guilty those days about sleeping while Natsu couldn't, but she needed sleep to bear with him. _Although he's getting harder to deal with these days,_ she thought, glancing at her bandaged arms. She finished brushing her teeth and neatly braided her hair so it wouldn't get tangled while she slept. She was just about to step out when she heard a loud crash.

Lucy grabbed a key from her side and crept through her apartment. The curtains, previously tied, were blowing in the night wind entering through the shattered window. Glass glittered on her hardwood and she groaned at the thought of having to clean it. She tightened her grip on the key as she pinpointed sounds of breathing coming from her bedroom alongside heavy footsteps. She whirled into the doorway: "Open, Gate of the— _Natsu what the hell are you doing?_ "

"L-Lucy," he stammered, looking up at her from running his fingers roughly through his locks, turning them into jagged spikes. He didn't look angry anymore, just severely perplexed, and his voice shook as he grabbed her forearms hard enough to bruise. " _Lucy,_ " he said with more intensity, his warm breath rushing over her face. He was so close she could see the dark marks on his cheek where Loki's punch would bruise in the morning and the similar dark crescents beneath his red eyes. His breath stuttered as tears ran down his cheeks, and a second later he buried his face in the crook of her shoulder and neck.

"N-Natsu?" she whistled through her teeth, her face burning. She watched his broad shoulders shake as he dissolved into sobs and felt her discomfiture pass immediately. She walked him backwards until they reached her bed and sat him down, and for the second time that week she comforted him as he blubbered.

"I'm s-s-so sorry Luce," he gasped between breaths. "R-Really!"

"Natsu, I know you didn't mean it, it's okay."

"No, it's not! I can't sleep and it's stressing me out a-and I feel like I'm gonna rip in half! Lucy," he whispered, pulling away. "I have dreams every time I close my eyes… You guys are dying, dead, Igneel's gone, I l-lose control— Every time and everything that I'm afraid of." He clasped his fist at his heart with a pained noise. "I just want to sleep, Luce," he pleaded. She felt her own heart break at the anguish in his voice, and she steeled herself as she made a resolution.

"Then you'll sleep tonight."

"I can't—"

"Yes, you will," she said decisively, standing. "Just get comfortable and wait a minute for me."

"O…Okay," he said reluctantly, watching her as she strode with determination to the kitchen. She pulled milk from the fridge along with honey and graham crackers from the cabinet. She poured the milk and honey into a pot and let it boil to lukewarm before dishing it into a bowl, then she broke up the graham crackers into it and added a little pinch of cinnamon for good measure. She grabbed a spoon and brought it over to Natsu, who took it suspiciously.

"This is Mama's patented no-nightmare soup," she explained as he sniffed it.

"Um?"

"Drink it, it tastes great," she assured. He shrugged and took one cautious sip, but that was all it took for his eyes to light up, the brightest they'd been all week.

"Wow!" he exclaimed before tipping the bowl to his lips. He drank it all in a few seconds and sighed right after, a small smile on his face. "That's… That's actually good, Luce."

"I wouldn't lead you astray." She took the bowl and set it on the nightstand before nudging his legs open to stand directly in front of him. She laid her hands on his head and he looked up at her, wide-eyed and confused like a little Natsu-dog. "She also used to stroke my head, like…this." She ran her hands in little patterns along his mussed mane, zigzags and crosses and straight lines, tugging his locks lightly as she went. He shivered once before leaning into her touch, the tension leaving his shoulders.

"That's…nice…" he hummed appreciatively, relaxing against her. She pushed him away gently until he was lying down and she took off his scarf and sandals. He scrutinized her with half-closed eyes as she reached under her bed and drew out an old cardboard box. She hesitated for just a moment before opening it and drawing out her silver music box.

"This belonged to Mama," she said in a soft, reverential voice, setting it on the nightstand and winding it up. "She always played it when I asked, and it always sounded like home, even to this day…" She pushed open the lid and watched the wooden carving of the Zodiac circle pop up, then the gentle tune began to play. Natsu let out a soft breath as his eyes closed, and she figured that he'd be fine. She was just turning away to sleep on the couch when he suddenly lashed out with amazing speed and, grabbing her by the hips, dragged her backwards and plopped her down alongside him. "N-Natsu?" she gasped, blushing heavily as she fought against him, but it was useless as even his sleepy movements were strong. He moved his arms up to her waist and pulled her flush against him.

"L…Lucy…" Natsu murmured, burying his nose in her hair. Igneel smelled like smoke and bluegrass, but she smelled like wildflowers and paper ink. It was different. Not bad though. He took a deep breath and smiled, and for the first time in a week, he slipped into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Natsu growled as he rolled over and found the other side of the bed empty. He cracked his eyes open and rubbed the sleep from them, sitting up. He wasn't surprised at being in Lucy's place—hell, he knew her apartment better than his house at that point—but he had a little trouble remembering what had happened the night before…

"Oh," he breathed, looking around. The sunlight streaming from her window reflected off of the soup bowl on the nightstand, and her music box was still sitting there, although closed. He stared for a minute speechlessly, trying to let it sink in. "I didn't… I didn't have any bad dreams!" He jumped up in his excitement but stumbled and almost crashed into her dresser right after. Well, he wasn't going to be at top percent for a while, but he could finally think clearly. And it was all thanks to—

"Lucy?" he called, walking through her apartment. "Hey, Luce, where are you? You taking a shit or something? Lu-cy?" He checked every room in her apartment even though he knew it'd earn him a painful Lucy Kick, but she wasn't there at all. He couldn't even smell her that well, meaning she left a while ago. He shrugged and raided her fridge, and he figured he'd make some eggs. When that literally bombed, he swept the burned mess under the fridge and hoped that she wouldn't notice. So he went with Plan B: sweet-talking Mira for breakfast.

He walked into the guild and rode through the collective groan that sounded at his appearance—they did that whenever he walked in lately. He went to Mira and asked, "Hey, have you seen Lucy?" which confused him because he wanted to ask for food. Mira looked slightly troubled as she set the glass she was polishing down.

"Erza contacted her over lacrima for backup in Hargeon," she explained. "Lucy came by the guild to let us know before she went on the train."

"What?" he shouted, slamming his hands down on the bar. He heard someone get up behind him and forced himself to calm down. "Why didn't she tell me?" he asked in a weaker voice.

"You would've just gone with her—we all know that—and you're not in fighting shape. Although you do look better," Mira observed, looking closer at him. He clenched his jaw and took a step back.

"I'm going to Hargeon."

"Natsu, no, you can get hurt or infected with even more Black Magic."

"I don't care! That bastard wanted to pick a fight with the Salamander, I'm gonna finish it." His stomach growled and he gripped it with an awkward grin. "But can I get some food Mira? Please?"

She pressed her lips into a thin line as she slid over a plate of scrambled eggs and sausage. "Don't you want to respect their wishes?"

"I do," he supposed through a mouthful. "I do respect their wishes—I just don't like 'em."

"Natsu…" she sighed. He jabbed a thumb at himself, giving her as stern a look as he could with his mouth jam-packed with eggs.

"Mirajane, I'm always gonna want to fight with my friends and damn the consequences to myself. That's how I am." He finished eating and stood up, cracking his knuckles. "Thanks for the food. I'm going."

"Don't come back worse," she warned. He grinned at her in response before taking off, following the familiar pathway to his house. His muscles burned almost instantly from the usually-easy jog and it really began to sink in how much of a use he'd be in a fight. Still, that was common sense, something Natsu wasn't known for having. He shoved the voice of reason into the dusty corners of his mind as he burst through the door, startling Happy awake on the couch.

"Happy, we're going!"

"Wha?" he murmured blearily, rubbing his eyes.

"They found the guy, Happy, and I'm gonna kick his butt."

"Yay." He sprouted his wings and flew over, latching onto Natsu's back. "Then you won't be so weird anymore, right, Natsu?"

"Oi, I'm not weird! Lucy's weird!"

"Where is Lucy?" he asked as he increased speed, waking up enough to lift Natsu a few feet off of the ground. "She's usually always with you."

"She's already out there. I think she snuck out during the night."

"Yeah, you didn't come back. Did you sleep over?"

"Uh-huh. She made me, I dunno…" Happy was high now, and going at max speed. The city was just a blur beneath them and fading quickly into forestry. "She did some stuff I guess her mom did to her, and I was knocked right out. And then I didn't have any bad dreams, Happy—it was so amazing."

"But we tried everything and it didn't work," he said, mystified. "How come it worked with her?"

"Because Lucy is special," he answered, although he himself had no idea what he meant by that. Special, like a special friend? Or did he mean special like Alzack meant Bisca was special? It was totally confusing.

* * *

Lucy cried out as another bolt of Black Magic struck her. Taurus and Loki were fast, so were Erza and Gray, but not as fast as Arman Sylph. He seemed to be everywhere at once, moving so quickly that they barely had time to edge an attack in past his lethal strikes.

"Lucy, behind you!" Loki cautioned, taking a quick break to restore his magic. Lucy whirled around with fleuve d'toiles at the ready but Arman was already one step ahead: A fast punch amplified by magic was dealt to her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to lose her footing. She lost her grip on the slippery wharf and tumbled towards the water where a boat's rudder was spinning fast enough to create a whirlpool.

"Lucy!" Gray hurried out to grab her, but he was too slow to brace himself on the slick wood and she pulled him down as well.

"Lucy, Gray!" Erza came and grabbed Gray by the ankle (damn, where did his pants go?) and jammed her sword into the softened lumber of the pier with her free hand. Wendy attempted to redirect their fall by adjusting the winds, then with a sharp jab of his fingers, she was taken from the equation by the dark wizard. The chain of bodies hung for a second before Arman came with a malicious smirk, dragging the prone bodies of Taurus and Loki with him. He dropped them down the line but Lucy and Gray managed to catch them, although Gray struggled with Taurus' weight. He grabbed Erza's sword by the hilt and prepared to pull it out—

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Arman went flying backwards with the sword still in his grip. They all began falling right before Happy grabbed Erza by the arm, stopping them inches from the water with a pained groan, but with Charla's help they were back on solid ground.

"Hey, _buddy,_ " Natsu leered, slamming his fists together as his entire body erupted in red-hot fire, the wave of heat blasting away all nearby rocks and loose chunks of pavement. "I owe you bigtime for all the beauty sleep you snatched from me."

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted, thankful and exasperated at the same time. He looked better, markedly so, but his movements were stiff—he had nowhere near his usual agility, and it would bite him in the butt. It was why she left before he could wake, because she knew that Natsu—being _Natsu_ —would try and follow regardless of what happened to him.

"I owe you too, Luce," he mentioned, meeting her eyes. The offhanded remark was said with such intensity that she had to look away, blushing a bit. Arman's jaw tensed as he faced off against Natsu.

"I don't suppose you managed a good night's sleep in-between our meetings?"

"Actually, I did," he smirked, juggling a ball of fire between his hands easily. Despite his calm speech, Lucy could tell from his body language that he was totally pissed—maybe even Erza level-pissed. "Shucks for you, guy, because I now I have just the right amount of energy to kick your ass all the way to Edolas!"

Without warning he hurled the fireball at Arman, letting it explode into buzzing embers, but as with every attack he dodged with amazing speed, sending a stream of magic back at Natsu, who took it in the chest with a pained noise. Gray was waiting for him as he reappeared, however, as if the two had practiced the attack together, a cannon of ice already set on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Flamebrain, for giving me my time to shine," he leered, blue magic gathering at the weapon's mouth. "Ice Make: Bazooka!" Arman gritted his teeth and darted away from Gray's magic that turned the ground into a field of stalagmites—only to get caught in the wheel of Erza's swords.

"I thank you as well, Natsu, even though you should be _resting,_ " she growled, earning a startled yelp from him as her swords tapered to a point at Arman's neck. He jumped to escape the attack and was immediately grounded by Wendy, who had awoken and was back in the game—and in the air, with Charla's aid—sending him skidding across the slick cobblestones to Loki and Taurus's waiting embraces. Arman repelled both of them with a shield of Black Magic and spun around to come face-to-face with Natsu.

"Sweet dreams!" Natsu growled right before decking him in the face. A second later his fist was enveloped in a whirlwind of fire and lightning, shooting Arman Sylph backwards like a bullet and sending him crashing through several rows of buildings, a series of smoking holes marking his path. Natsu whistled as he watched Arman disappear halfway across the town with a grin. "Woo! Happy, how many feet do ya think he made?"

"Mm… Fifty!" Happy proclaimed, pumping his little paws.

"Aww, what? I'd say a hundred at least!"

"Don't flatter yourself, magma-breath—it was forty at best," Gray snorted, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"Oi, don't sell me short here, you sub-zero stooge!" Gray looked somewhat impressed at the insult, which was actually above Natsu's usual caliber. His awe fell flat just a second later as Natsu himself did, falling onto his face and going immobile.

"Natsu!" Lucy and Wendy were the first ones over. Lucy knelt with Natsu's head on her legs while Wendy focused on healing him, and Gray and Erza went to recover Arman as Loki and Taurus returned to the spirit world. "Oh, please don't tell me that the idiot made himself _worse._ "

"I don't… I don't think so," she muttered through her focus, biting her lower lip as she met Lucy's eyes.

"But?"

"But this has made his condition, his physical condition worse."

"Well, it's Natsu—we couldn't keep him away from a fight even if we knocked him unconscious." She absently stroked his forehead as she spoke, sweeping his bangs from his eyes and tracing little circles on his skin. Erza and Gray returned with Arman Sylph's prone body moments after, starling Lucy from a fugue. His cloak and clothes were burned nearly to a crisp and his skin was bruised and blackened from ash.

"You will revoke the spell on our friend or face the wrath of Fairy Tail," Erza growled, flinging Arman forward. Lucy didn't have the bravery needed to tell her that Arman had already "faced the wrath of Fairy Tail" tenfold. Arman snorted at her before turning to Natsu, and with a highly-displeased expression he unzipped Natsu's coat to bare his still-bandaged waist. He ripped through the cloth to open up his wound to their eyes—if there was one. The Fairy Tail wizards gasped in surprise while Arman scowled.

"Looks like he beat the magic on his own."

"What? How?" Lucy grilled.

"Hell if I know." Arman attempted to walk off before Erza grabbed him by the neck.

"You're going to wait here for ERA to show up." Arman muttered a swear as Erza dragged him off, leaving the four on the ground.

"You're really amazing, you know?" Lucy murmured, poking Natsu's cheek. He still slept away happily, a bit of drool trickling from the corner of his mouth and onto Lucy's thigh. "Happy, come on, let's get him back to the guild."

"Aye." Happy latched onto Natsu's shoulder and lifted him into the air. Lucy looked at his bare side again and had to wonder, _What is it about this man that makes him so special to me?_

* * *

Lucy didn't usually have bad dreams, mainly because there was an imposing presence next to her that chased her dreams away with his fire's light, but this time she was plagued with memories of her mother's passing.

 _She cried wordlessly as Layla Heartfilia looked onto her with sad, nearly-lifeless eyes, her lips moving soundlessly before those lights finally vanished behind blue lids, gripping Michelle with all her might—_

 _A warmth filled her body from her left hand outwards, lighting up her mother's room until she had to close her eyes. When she opened them again, she was staring at a blue sky as she felt herself being tugged forward impatiently. "Aww, come on Luce, or else all the good jobs'll get taken!" he whined. She brought her eyes down to Natsu's grinning face, Happy laughing as he fluttered around them, and she smiled._

 _"_ _Alright!"_

Lucy cracked her eyes open and met a very, _very_ penetrating gaze from her companion. He blinked back at her as he met those eyes, the brown of them still shiny even in her dark room, and he gave her a small smile. He waited until she slowly looked down and spotted their hands, intertwined in the few inches of space between their bodies on her bed. She looked back up at Natsu as he propped his head up in his free hand, still staring at her. He relished her blush as she looked down and away from him. "W-Why are you staring at me like that?" she questioned, her voice a little rough from sleep.

"You're amazing," he said simply.

"Not as much as you. How did you beat that magic?"

"With your help," he grinned, squeezing her hand. She ducked her face beneath her bangs and he sucked his teeth. "C'mon, Luce, why're you hiding?"

"I don't see what I could've done," she murmured. He sighed and released her, hearing her suck in a breath at the loss of contact as he rolled onto his back, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at her ceiling.

"I've never told anyone this," he said in a level voice, "not even Happy, but I'm gonna tell you. But you gotta protect this secret with your life, okay? Don't tell anyone, and especially not Ice-Prick." She met his eyes and nodded seriously. He tightened his fists and jaw for a moment, apparently warring with himself, but quickly let it go with another fatigued sigh. "When Igneel, y'know, vanished, I was so overwhelmed. Why would he leave without saying a word? We were… We were father and son. It made no sense, and I was just a kid back then. I felt betrayed, hurt, angry, but mostly I was afraid."

"Afraid?" she inquired delicately when he didn't continue. His eyes hardened.

"I was scared it was something that I'd done. If I'd learned the Fire Dragon's Roar faster…if I'd beaten that Vulcan instead of letting it whack me around…if I'd been able to run as fast as him… Then, I realized, I was just scared of being on my own. Then I finally became strong when I joined Fairy Tail, and I thought I'd be fine. There was a mission some years ago where Gray, Erza, and I were out fighting some no-name rogue guild. They had a wizard with Memory Magic, and he yapped on and on that Igneel left 'cause I was weak, 'cause I wouldn't ever be anything but worthless, that even my friends would leave if they had a chance…"

Natsu suddenly rolled over to face her again, and his fangs were bared in a snarl that made her heart pound with fear, even though she knew he would never hurt her. "I bashed and beat that guy until he couldn't even talk anymore," he growled in a severe voice, "and I kept goin' and goin' until Erza knocked me out and dragged me back to the guild." That primal anger left his face—thank the gods for that—but he looked like he was going to cry instead. "I started to be afraid of what would happen if I lost control like that again, Lucy. It was this… _anger_ in me that tried to cover up my fear, and I never wanted it to come up again. I would go crazy and hurt anyone…even you guys."

"Natsu…" She scooted forward, clearing the distance between them until her breasts were against his chest through the thin fabric covering them, but she didn't even notice. "You'd never hurt us."

"I don't know," was all he said. Then his eyes lit up and he took both of her hands, holding them between their bodies. "Then _you_ showed up, Lucy. You're all…soft, I guess, that's probably the right word for it. Erza keeps her heart in armor and Gray's an ice-hearted prick, but you're open and whatever with the people around you. You're good with all that touchy-feely emotional stuff and in your own weird—and I mean _weird_ —" he cracked a smirk at her grimace, "ways, you helped me. I started to think of you like a teddy bear I guess—y'know what I mean, something that helps you get past bad dreams. I didn't think you could help me with those though, not until you did, and I'm really, _really_ thankful." He shook his head in incredulity. "I can't say _thank you_ enough. I'm gonna owe you forever."

"It's because we're friends, Natsu."

"Yeah, I guess, but…" He stared at her with a look she started to call his _What the hell is this?_ face. "Is that really everything we are?"

"What— What are you suggesting?" she whispered, her heart racing so quickly he could surely hear it. He didn't say anything about it though, too deep in thought.

"I don't… I mean… What was that crap Gramps called it? The birds and the knees or something?" Lucy didn't catch on for a minute, but when she did her face blazed almost as hot as him.

"N-N-Natsu! You—You're not implying— You're not saying t-t-that you w-wanna ha-have s-s-s—" She could barely even get the words out, she was so ruffled. He blinked twice in surprise before shaking his head furiously.

"What? No! That'd be gross." She had to sigh, which quickly turned into a relieved/hysterical laugh. Natsu would always be Natsu. But he still seemed a little…agitated? "But maybe… Augh I knew I should've listened to Gildarts back then! He explained all this to me but I was just thinkin' about rumblin' with him so I wasn't really paying attention—well damn that! I can do it better than that old fart anyway!" And without warning, without tact or grace—well he wasn't known for having tact and grace anyway—he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close, sealing his lips over his.

She cried out into his mouth, surprised, but as the shock wore away she moaned at the taste of him, bringing her hands up into his hair to pull him even closer. In turn, he dropped his hands to her waist to ensure no space was left between them, pulling her flush against his toned body. After a moment, she dropped her hands to his broad shoulders, then dared to dip them into the sides of his vest, getting a much better feel of his smooth, warm skin. He groaned and his canines bit into her lower lip, not at all unpleasantly. His temperature rose beneath her roving hands and she slightly wondered if he would burst into flames then and there. They continued until the lack of oxygen finally forced them to separate, and Lucy rested her head on his chest just to stay in contact with him.

"Wow," he said, followed by a chuckle that reverberated through his body. His eyes were slightly glazed and his lips were kiss-swollen. "I expected to get punched for that. You really liked it? I'm no pro or anything." She slapped his arm lightly.

"What do you think, Dragneel?" He laughed aloud before putting his arms around her.

"So, you sure you don't wanna find out about the birds and the knees? 'cause I'm feelin' pretty curious about it now."

"Goodnight, Natsu."

"Ah, goodnight. And you know what, Luce?"

"Huh?"

He smirked as he brought his head down to rest in her shoulder. "I don't think I'm scared of those dreams anymore."


	3. Red Riding Hood

**Summary -** Lucy's father warned her that the forest held dangerous animals like wolves. She did _not_ expect, however, to see a _dragon_ with his flying blue cat in her grandmother's house.

* * *

 **Red Riding Hood**

Natsu's stomach growls for what has to be the umpteenth time today. He punches it angrily, "Shut up already! I know we're starving!"

"Natsu, are you talking to your stomach _again?_ " Happy sighs from his head, causing his ear to twitch in annoyance.

"Oi, Happy, my problem. Anyway, we need something to _eat._ I'm sick of living off of damn berries," he complains, pushing through a bush into a small area devoid of trees and grass. His nose twitches as he detects smoky scent. "Happy, you smell that?"

"Yeah, it stinks."

"No, Happy, smoke, _smoke!_ Smoke equals people, and people equal meat!" he explains, his tail swishing from side to side in his excitement. "C'mon, let's go!" He pushes through shrubbery and low-hanging vines, following the scent with the ferocity of a bloodhound. No, actually, that's an understatement—dragons have _way_ better tracking ability than those stupid domestic dogs. He knows because he frequently runs circles around their hunting routes to make sure they have no game to bring home.

He notices little scratches in the tree bark around him and gently runs his fingers over the marks. They're clean, too clean—a human made them. He continues around the forest with the calculated moves of an expert—he has, after all, been living there his whole life. Dragons are mythical to humans, but that doesn't mean that they don't fear dragons all the same, so he, a half-breed, hides away, hidden since his father passed and hidden still.

He comes across a small stone shack in a small clearing. He looks around and sees a little herb garden, smooth dirt pathway, and the strong smell of soup emanating from inside. He wonders how he never noticed the home before—then again, he sticks to his sector of the woods most of the time. "Happy, you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"Dinner!" he exclaims.

"Exactly, buddy."

He creeps to the window closest to him and peeks inside, lowering his ears so the sharp tips aren't visible. He sees an old woman with long pink hair in a bun working at a wood stove—that's the source of the smoke. He doesn't know much of human homes, but he guesses that hers is pretty. Well, as pretty as a house set smack in the middle of Magnolia Forest can get. He inches along the window to get a better view and—holy cow! She has smoked ham, mashed potatoes, and pickled vegetables set on a wooden table. He feels Happy drooling on his forehead but doesn't mind because he's drooling all over his worn shirt too.

"We're eatin' tonight, Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

"Fly me up there!" Happy sprouts his wings and clings to Natsu tighter before lifting him up to the roof. The cobblestone is uneven beneath his bare feet and he treads with caution, trying not to loosen any of them lest she discovers his presence as he heads towards the chimney. He grips the bricks and peers down the square hole, and it appears just big enough for Happy to fit through.

"Just get down, snatch a few bites, and that's it," Natsu tells him, lowering him to the hole. Happy salutes him before slipping into the darkness with a puff of smoke. He leans his head in with his ears out, listening because Happy was enthusiastic but kind of slow-witted sometimes. Natsu hears a small crash—well, he kind of expected Happy to slip up, no offense to the little guy—and backs away, but louder noises resonate through the home and he doesn't even need to perk his ears up to hear. The old lady shouts in surprise, Happy starts meowing wildly because he always forgets he can talk when he panics, more crashing, more bangs, a couple of sneezes, and silence.

"…Happy?"

Happy bursts from the chimney with his fur stained by soot and eyes wide. "Natsu, I think I killed her!" he says before bursting into sobs.

"What!?" Natsu leaps from the roof and to the pathway, then he grabs the doorknob and—damn it, it's locked! He tenses his muscles and pulls and the entire thing breaks away in his hand. He kicks the door open and damn Happy! The furniture is overturned, food is spilled, and the old lady's keeled over in the corner. "Happy, you're a murderer!"

"What zoo we zoo, Nashuu?" He's really letting it out now. Natsu runs his hands down his face as he tries to think, looking between the stove and the wasted food and the old lady, then he's distracted by a new sweet scent. "Hey, Happy, you smell that?"

"Nooo," he moans, but to his credit his nose is running like crazy.

"It smells…really nice…" He raises his nose and takes a deeper breath. It smells like wildflowers, but also something distinctly female, but it's not the same as the forest animals—no, it's a human type of female. Human female. And she's coming…to the house… "Oh, no! Happy, there's a girl coming here! If she sees this then she'll think we killed the old lady!"

"We diiid!"

"Yeah but— People already hate dragons. This'll make things worse!" He's flipping out but he knows he has to keep his cool, because her scent is getting closer and slowly driving him nuts. He's never smelled anything so sweet, so lovely, so…so… _delicious?_ "J-Just help me fix the house, and hide her! _Quick!_ " Together, he and Happy start righting the furniture and tossing the unsalvageable food outside, saving the rest of it on plates and resetting the table. Natsu doesn't know how to set a table _per-say,_ but he figures it's close enough. He shuts the door just as the smell reaches the clearing, and with it comes a beautiful hum, a quiet melody sung by the angels themselves. His heart races and he clenches his chest, expecting to burst into flames from his panic and anxiety.

"But where do we go!?" Happy pleads as he hides the lady under the sink. Natsu runs in circles as he tries to figure it out, but he's no thinker and her smell is turning his brains into mushy nonsense.

"H-Her clothes!" he yells. He sprints the short distance to her sleeping area, where she has clothes neatly folded away into a wooden storage area and a large bed obscured with a fluffy, comfy-looking sheet. He yanks open a compartment and finds a long velvety gold dress and figures yeah, maybe. He tugs it on over his head and it neatly covers his body, but his tail still sticks out and swishes from side to side. He ducks under the bedsheets and curls his tail between his legs—it disappears just enough to not be noticeable on first sight. Happy's still floating in the air as the door creaks open.

"Here!" Natsu hisses, pointing at his chest. Happy squirms his way into the chest area of the dress which helps with two problems, but he still has a few.

"Grandma Porlyusica?" a soft voice calls from the main room. Natsu fluffs his hair up to cover his long ears and with a little last-minute thinking snatches a huge pair of glasses from the nightstand and fits them over his eyes. He ducks under the covers as she enters the room, and sweet Igneel _hot damn._

She's small, or maybe it's because he's tall, and she wears a red cloak that does nothing to hide her golden hair like delicately-spun thread and her wide doe eyes. She has the softest-looking skin and small hands that clasp under her chin in confusion. "Grandma, is that you?" she asks quietly.

"U-Um, yes, it's me, your grandmother!" Natsu trills in a horrible voice even to his own ears. She blinks and tilts her head to the side, and he fears that she can hear his heart. _Why is it pounding so damn much? I know I'm nervous, but this is ridiculous!_

"Grandma…" she starts warily, taking one step closer to the bed. He blinks and flinches as Happy starts wiggling fearfully against his chest. "What big ears you have," she comments, pointing. He pales and feels his ears twitch.

"Aye, u-um… All the better to hear you with!"

"And… And what long nails you have," she continues. He curls his claws in self-consciously.

"A-All the better to scratch with!"

"What big eyes you have."

"You know, you're chatty today, dear granddaughter," he says, trying to throw her off. She squints a little, undeterred, and moves even closer.

"What a long _tail_ you have." She points at the blue and white tail that's made its way out of the dress and into the air like a damn beacon.

"What? That's not my tail, that's—" He freezes, ears raised all the way up. " _Happy!_ "

"I'm sorry, Natsu, it was too cramped!" he cries, crawling free. The girl jumps backwards in surprise and he sits straight up, even more nervous. His tail pulls free reflexively and the barbed end rips the dress all the way down the back, probably taking out a few pillows too. She stares wide-eyed, both hands shaking as they go to her mouth.

"I-It's not what it looks like," he says slowly, getting to his feet and holding his hands up.

" _Where is my grandmother!?_ " She's suddenly throwing things, anything in her reach, and Natsu dodges clothes and hangers and little knick-knacks. He runs through the fray and grabs her wrists, stopping her. She immediately cries out in pain and he gasps, loosening his grip, but she uses the chance to slip free and deal an amazing kick to the underside of his jaw, sending him back onto his behind. He growls reflexively and she gasps, moving away until her back hits the wall. He's on his feet in a second and traps her between his arms, their faces so close that their noses almost touch. "Don't… Don't hurt me," she whispers, her chest bouncing with uneven breaths.

Natsu inhales deeply through his nose and raises his claws at her.

* * *

Lucy turns her head to the side, prepared for the bite of his claws into her skin, but they instead collide with the wall again with a sharp clash. She looks back at him, at those sharp and dark eyes, and he seems startled—why would he be surprised? He backs away quietly and she gets a better view of him. He's tall and broad-shouldered, and his beige shirt is worn thin enough that she can see his sculpted torso as it molds to his shape. He has short and frowzy pink hair that matches the pink scales of his long, barbed tail, and his sharp ears twitch and quiver as he listens to distant noises. His eyes, however, are the true focus, "the center of his being," as her books would call them.

"W…Who are you?" she inquires warily, watching him for any sudden movements. He seems determined to stay still now, eyes on hers.

"Natsu," he answers in a low voice. "I'm sorry…"

"Where is my grandmother?"

"She's… I'm sorry," he says again, turning away and heading through the house. She starts after him, then she's startled backwards by that blue cat.

"We're sorry for your loss," he says with a midair bow before following Natsu. She doesn't know what to say until Natsu reaches under the sink and hauls out—

"Grandma!" she cries, darting across the room to push him away from her. She kneels at her side and rests a hand on her chest, holding her breath and feeling her heart pound every second. "…She's just unconscious," Lucy moans, beyond relieved. Natsu and his cat let out a breath as well.

"We're _so_ sorry, Luigi—"

"Luigi?" she interrupts. He shrugs a shoulder with a grin, showing off two sharp fangs.

"You look like a Luigi."

"Well, I'm not. My name is Lucy," she says staunchly. He pouts a little but doesn't reply, taking his cat in his arms.

"Oh, and this is Happy."

"Aye sir," he greets. Lucy sighs as she lifts her grandmother. Natsu gasps a little before coming to help, and together they set her on the bed.

"What happened?"

"We were starving and we smelled food," Happy explains. "I came here to get some but she got scared and tried to hit me with a pan! I moved and she chased me around until she slipped and hit her head and-and I thought she died."

"Oh," she sighs, but she can see why. The two are dirty and rugged, looking as if they hadn't eaten in days. She isn't fond of them breaking into Porlyusica's home and knocking her out cold, but she can at least justify their actions. She looks out and sees that her grandmother had arranged a meal for her and makes an easy decision. "Then you two can eat, but as soon as that's done with you have to—"

"Oh, thank you thank you Lucy!" they reply excitedly, banging their heads on the wooden floor as they bow fervently. They waste no time in sliding in the chairs and digging in, splattering food and bones and random remains everywhere.

"Don't make a mess!" she says, but she might as well be talking to herself. She looks at Natsu and Happy and wonders where they came from. She had heard of wolves and other wild forest animals, but never a dragon (?) and a blue cat (?) with wings. Moreover, they're far too intelligent to simply be wild animals. "Natsu, Happy… Where did you two come from?"

"Sha foresht," Happy answers through a mouthful of fish.

"I've never seen your…kind…in the forest."

"We hide," Natsu elaborates as he gulps down water. "Humansh wouldn't like ush."

 _Well, I can see why,_ she thinks, watching them make pigs of themselves until the last bite is gone. She sees his sharp teeth, killer claws, and barbed tail, all marks of a predator, but there's also his corny smile, his open eyes, his immense warmth—all marks of another human. He and Happy sigh in contentment as they finish and he looks up at her, smiling a grateful smile. "You're done eating, so you can go home."

"Mm…okay," he says in disappointment, taking Happy up as he lulls into a deep sleep. "Guess I'm going back."

"To hiding?"

"Uh-huh." She watches him go towards the door.

"Why do you hide?"

"Why?" he repeats almost derisively, turning around. His eyes are bright now, so much that she can see his irises are actually green. "Look at me, Luce." He has long pointed ears, traces of scales on his bare skin, sharp claws, and a tail. "What humans would like having _me_ around? Dad told me that people hate dragons 'cause we look scary."

"You _look_ scary, but can you honestly tell me if you've ever hurt a human?" He pauses, eyebrows raised, but he slowly shakes his head no.

"I… I don't think they'll stop to hear my story."

"You're underestimating humans, Natsu! I've read about plenty of mythical creatures that befriended humans and saved their lives! Well, most of them," she comments bitterly, looking towards Porlyusica's room. He laughs awkwardly with a contrite grin. "You're actually very…gentle for a dragon."

"Dragons are scary, but not all the time," he clarifies. "Like, Dad was only scary when he hunted. We used to play tag…hide 'n' seek…sheep shooting…"

"What?"

"It's a lot of fun, but I'm getting off-topic." He rubs his chin and squints at her a bit. "Are you sure, Lucy? I don't want to get Happy's hopes up for nothing."

"I'm not sure, but is there anything for you to lose?" His ears wilt and he sighs.

"No, I guess not."

As soon as Lucy's grandmother awoke, Natsu and Happy started apologizing profusely to her. She expectedly wasn't happy about it, and more so considering that they're a pink dragon and blue flying cat, but her anger lessened when she heard why they did it. The real question is why the sight of a pink dragon and blue cat does not ruffle her.

"How have you been eating so far?" she inquires, sitting at her table with her arms crossed over her chest. She has a sharp, disciplinary expression even with the elderly lines on her face, but her brown eyes (kind of like Lucy's but not quite) make her look a little softer.

"Foraging," Happy answers dismally, landing on Natsu's head.

"Animals run when they smell me for some reason, so we don't get meat that often," Natsu clarifies.

"And where…did you come from?" Lucy looks on in interest over the cup of tea she drinks. Natsu doesn't like it—it smells intensely of peculiar herbs but she doesn't seem to notice. Humans have weird noses.

"Dad," he says, confused, because don't humans have moms and dads too?

"Alright, where did your father come from?"

"Uh…his dad?"

"Grandma Porlyusica, I don't think you're going to get far with this one," Lucy intercedes. Porlyusica sighs.

"So…do you forgive us?" Natsu asks, pulling his best cute-and-innocent dragon face.

"I don't forgive you for attacking me," she says with a pointed look in Happy's direction, "but as I can see your desperation, I'll let it go."

"Thank you Grandma!"

"Yeah, thank you Grandma!"

"I'm not your grandmother!" she snaps while Lucy fights off a smile. Natsu grins at her. _She has a nice smile, even though she doesn't have any fangs._ "And why are you still here? I don't like strangers."

"I'm waiting for Lucy! We're going out."

"What?" Porlyusica demands, looking at her. Lucy focuses at a large spider in the corner.

"They've been hiding here for years. I thought that they should come out and see what it's like in the village."

"You're going to be around them?" she says disapprovingly.

"We don't bite!" Happy says.

"And we've just been picked of fleas!"

"That's not my issue—"

"Grandmother," Lucy interrupts softly, eyes pleading. "Please. I'll be fine, I promise."

"You're taking a leap into the unknown, you know," Porlyusica cautions.

"Please," she insists. Her tone is like honey, sweet and thick and he wants to roll over and do tricks for her.

"How do you think people will react to…them?" Natsu tries not to roll his eyes but he can't help it. "You're a lovely girl, Lucy, but naïve at times."

"She says that they'll accept us," Natsu objects. "And I trust her word."

"Aye sir!"

"Then I hope you know what you're doing, granddaughter," Porlyusica sighs, resigned. Lucy stands and sets the emptied teacup down on the table before grabbing Natsu by the hand, bringing him up as well. It's so very warm and soft against his calloused palm that he sucks in a surprised breath at first.

"I never do," she says, and the natural excitement and anxiety in her smile makes Natsu's heart skip a beat. It's not nervous tension though, and he's not scared…so why is his heart stammering so much when it involves her?

Lucy, Natsu, and his weird cat are heading through the denser part of the forest when Natsu suddenly grabs her by her cloak, pulling her backwards and causing her to stumble against his hard chest. "Ow! Natsu! What was that for?"

"I smell danger," he answers in a tense voice that's just barely words over a growl. Even Happy looks focused, which makes her curl slightly into his grip. She's often heard of wild beasts living in Magnolia Forest but has never encountered one in all the time she's lived in the town. He doesn't find it strange at all that she hides against him and even grips her arm protectively, a real growl rumbling through his body and making his skin vibrate against hers through the two layers of clothing. "Happy, fly ahead for us."

"Aye sir." Happy jumps from Natsu's head and flies easily through the thick collection of trees and vines while Natsu gently eases Lucy ahead of him, remaining so close that she can feel his intense body heat forming beads of sweat on her neck.

"Don't be scared," he says gently.

"I'm not."

"I can literally smell your fear, Luce."

"What—Luce? My name is Lucy," she says, looking up at him over her shoulder. He gives her an easy grin and squeezes her shoulder.

"I like _Luce_."

"Natsu I caught him!" Happy calls, streams of blue fur appearing in the cracks between tree trunks.

"Oh, good job Happy!" Although his tune changes completely when Happy comes back onto the path with his prize. "Ugh, you should've just left him out there."

"Thanks a lot, ash-for-brains," the man currently being dragged by the waist replies irately. He is of the same height and build as Natsu but the similarities end there. This man is pale to Natsu's tan, with raven-black hair and icy eyes. He has a sculpted body which Lucy gets a great view of with his worn knee-length drawstring pants, and whatever he is has to be related to Natsu, because on the crown of his head sits furry black ears and from the base of his spine comes a bushy tail the same color.

"Are you… Are you a wolf?" she questions tentatively. He grunts as Happy drops him to the ground and stands, dusting himself off.

"Yes," he answers, then he does a double-take upon seeing her. "And you're…human. What're you doing with this moron?"

"What, you're mad I can make real friends and you can't?" Natsu growls, but he's grinning as he pulls Lucy back against him.

"Your cat doesn't count as a real friend," he replies, giving Happy a sharp look. Happy doesn't think much of it though.

"I'm sorry that you've had to deal with this idiot so far," he says, taking Lucy's hands to bow apologetically. Compared to Natsu, his are ice-cold, but he has a hidden warmth in his eyes. "My name is Gray."

"And you're a…wolf."

"I'm not a dragon like this moron."

"—Hey!" Lucy ignores him.

"Is there any animal out here that's, you know, _an actual animal?_ "

"Of course. It's just that some of us are… _smarter_ than the rest. Some of us are even smarter than each other," he says with a pointed look in Natsu's direction. His face floods with heat as he clenches his fist.

"You lookin' to pick a fight with a dragon, Ice-Prick?"

"Not unless you want to get ripped apart by a wolf, slant-eyes."

"What the hell did you say, droopy eyes!?" At this point, they are so close together in an intense stare-down that Lucy wants to tell them to kiss already.

"Natsu, Gray, don't fight in front of a lady," Happy says, flying in-between the two. She would've been touched if Gray didn't backhand him to the ground and leapt on Natsu regardless.

"Natsu!" Lucy cries, grabbing him by the tail as he and Gray get into a ridiculous claw-filled slapping match. He gives a loud screech-whine as she tugs lightly and falters, allowing Gray to knock him into a tree trunk.

"Don't you know?" Gray says to her. "His tail is highly sensitive."

"O-Oh."

"Ugh," Natsu whines, dragging himself up. "I'm gonna hide you and turn you into a pelt, bastard!"

"No, you won't," a new, colder voice says before Natsu and Gray suddenly go flying apart, landing on their backs with twin thumps and shaky exhales. A brisk wind passes in the wake of the newcomer's movement as she bows formally in front of Lucy. "I sincerely apologize for any trouble that these two may have caused you." Her figure is very feminine, or at least what Lucy can see past her waist-length scarlet hair in which two pointed red ears stand at attention, and poking out from a hole in her slightly-frayed black dress is a fluffy fox's tail.

"Vixen," Lucy says, awed and perplexed. "N…No, it's okay what they did, really."

"I thank you for your forgiveness." She stands and Lucy sucks in a breath at the sharp beauty of her features. She's much more poised and regal than those two brutes, and they know it too if the fear and deference on their faces is anything to by.

"Erza is scary," Happy comments, hiding behind Lucy. Erza looks over at Natsu and then back at her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm, err, Lucy."

"Lucy, what are you doing with these three?"

"I promised to take Natsu into the town," she says. Erza frowns.

"There is good reason for us to be hiding in the forest as we do."

"Yes, but I don't see why. None of you seem…particularly dangerous," she mutters, looking at Natsu who gives her a wide grin. Erza seems reluctant but doesn't say anything further about it. "And is this all of you, or are there any other _animals_ out here?"

"There are bears and rabbits and flies and—"

"Any like _you?_ "

"Just us," Gray grunts with a sharp look at Natsu, switching his gaze to a cluster of mushrooms as Erza looks over at him. "Sadly."

"I ought to—" With a sharp metallic screech, Erza held a chipped broadsword out with the point to Natsu's Adam's apple.

"You ought to what, exactly?" she asked in a hard voice. He swallowed and leans back, throwing Gray a subtler dirty look.

"Yes, well, I have better places to be than with _you,_ you frozen freak." Natsu is on his feet in a second and suddenly his all-consuming warmth is all over Lucy—he has wrapped his arms around her. She barely has time to be self-conscious before he's running and thus pushing her forward.

"N-Natsu! Don't run so fast! We'll run into something!" she cries, tears building in her eyes, but Natsu's an expert, dodging low-hanging branches and thick bushes with such expertise that she doesn't so much as feel the tickle of a leaf.

"No worries!" He accompanies this with his laugh, which lets another burning blush worm its way onto her face. The pathway starts sloping downwards beneath her slippers and she recognizes it as the curve at the side of a sharp decline.

"Slow down, there's a cliff—"

"I said don't worry Luce! Just trust me!"

She doesn't know why, but she does.

They burst from the trees and into the sunlight onto the little outlook over the town. Natsu sucks in a surprised breath at the sight but restrains himself for the moment. His hands switch to Lucy's waist and she inhales just before he tosses her forward off of the cliff, then follows behind with a jump. "Whoa! Hey!" he shouts in elation, grinning and laughing even as she screams in fear. "Happy!"

"Aye sir!" That blue tail wraps around her waist and she's not falling anymore but moving forward, the forest reduced to a blur of green and grays and browns beneath her as they pass through the air.

"Oh, Happy, it's so beautiful!" she exclaims, covering her mouth in awe. She had never had a bird's-eye view of the forest before, but now that she did she can't ever look at it the same way again.

"Aye," he agrees. She looks down and gasps as Natsu falls into the blend of trees below them. "He's gonna be fine, Lucy—he has worse falls than that all the time!"

"But that was at least a fifty feet drop!"

"He'll be fine!"

"Oh, if you say so." She tilts her head back to catch the wind on her face and in her hair, relishing the cool feeling of it after being end-to-end to Natsu's powerful body heat for so long. "Happy, Natsu's father… Was he a dragon? As in, a real storybook dragon?"

"What are dragons like in your stories?"

"Large, majestic, fearsome beasts."

"Oh, yeah, that was Igneel for sure!"

"And…was he pink too?" Lucy doesn't know why _that_ of all facts sticks with her, but she has to ask.

"He was red, kinda like Erza's hair." She tries to picture a creature like that giving birth to Natsu and—firstly, she's distracted by thoughts of a young Natsu. The only thing that would make sense is if his mother was, or is, a human like her. But all of the past tense around his parents makes her loathe to bring them up.

"Where to stop, Lucy?"

"Where to— Oh! Right there," she says, pointing at a spot between buildings at the edge of the town. Nobody passes by as Happy carefully lands her in the dirt.

"This is a town?" he asks, landing on the ground. His wings disappear right after into his furry back.

"Yes, this is the town of Magnolia." She picks him up and realizes _Oh, his fur is really soft and silky._ She pets him lightly between the ears and he purrs, leaning into her touch. _I guess a blue flying cat is still a cat._

"Lucy!" Natsu is suddenly standing beside her when he wasn't even in the area before.

"Natsu! How did you get here so quickly?"

"I'm fast," he says with a smug smile. He looks around the place with an awestruck expression. "This is amazing!"

"It's just an alleyway, Natsu." Still, he stands with his tail swinging back and forth and eyes huge with childish wonder. She hides a giggle behind her hands as he practically skips across the alley investigating dipping clotheslines and peeking to the streets where carriages idle by.

"What are those big brown things Lucy?"

"You mean the horses?"

"Hoarse? What's wrong with their throat?" he asks.

"Not _hoarse,_ Natsu, _horse._ H-O-R-S-E. They're strong and fast and are used to pull heavy loads or to help people move faster."

"Can I eat them?" he asks very seriously.

"No, Natsu, you can't eat them. —And don't ask anyone if you can eat their horse either! Come on." She offers a hand and he simply stares at it. "Natsu?"

"N…Nothing," he says inaudibly, taking it. His palm is rough and calloused against hers and so warm. He raises his head and steps out into the sunlight.

* * *

 _"_ _Natsu, you must remember to always stay hidden," Igneel said as Natsu rolled in the grass with his little blue kitty._

 _"_ _Why, Dad?" he asked, coming to a stop and trying to catch his breath. Igneel sighed and looked up at the blue sky._

 _"_ _Humans are…close-minded. They won't appreciate dragons like you and I."_

 _"_ _Why not? Dragons are amazing! Right Happy?"_

 _"_ _Aye sir!" Happy agreed, flapping his tiny white wings._

 _"_ _You've such a great heart, my son," Igneel said softly, tapping Natsu's small chest with a claw. Natsu giggled from the contact. "I don't want to ever see it broken."_

So many sounds. Natsu squints and turns his head away, flattening his ears against his skull to block the noise. Still, it reverberates through his head and his bones as men and women shout and scream at the sight of him. He feels something hard and coarse bang against his shoulder—a rock. More follow soon after and his first instinct is to cover Lucy with his body, but it's pointless: they're only aiming for him anyway.

"What is that?"

"'tis a creature of Black Magic!"

"It will eat our children!"

"Children taste gross!" Happy cries, not that it helps their case. Natsu feels a rock break skin on his forehead and drops into a growl, snapping at everyone that comes near. He feels Lucy grab his bicep in warning but ignores it, glaring at everyone around them.

"Natsu…let's go," she whispers, gripping his arm even tighter. A little boy sees his father tossing a rock and with eyes full of eager excitement throws his own, but it veers horribly off course and towards Lucy. His hand whips out before he even thinks it through and catches it inches from her face, causing her to gasp in surprise as he easily crushes it into grey dust. Then his eyes return to the crowd, no longer weaker forms like Lucy but wild animals, rowdy and in need of a controlling force.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Fire roams the dry ground and scatters the crowd instantly like a shriek within the forest. Nearby carriages blow alight and their horses take off in alarm as the fabric and wooden frame burst into a show of orange and gold. His eyes widen at the sound of screaming and he instantly flashes back to the first time he ever used his fire, the time before he knew _wood is very flammable_ and earned himself a razed forest, burnt cat, and very irate Erza.

"Damn it," he mutters, taking Lucy's hand. He startles her a second later by tugging her into his arms, holding her tight to his chest before taking off. She shrieks at how fast he runs, clinging to his shirt so tightly the loose threads pop, and he tries to give her a reassuring smile.

"Natsu, you're always causing trouble!" Happy reprimands from his side. He groans in response.

"I thought that maybe…maybe this one time…"

They quickly reach an area not yet touched by the panic. He ducks under several hanging lines full of clothing and releases Lucy—to get a slap to the face a moment later. He is still recovering from the sting when her head snaps towards the dark smoke pluming from some miles away. "…I'm… I'm sorry, Luce," he says weakly, even though he knows it means nothing. _"Sorry" doesn't always make things better,_ Igneel once told him, and he now sees how true his words were. "Really… I'm totally sorry, Lucy. I just panicked when they were about to hit you, and…" He stops when it feels like he's just digging his own grave deeper.

"I don't know why _you're_ apologizing," she says after a moment, her tone flat. "I'm the one that made a shoddy promise."

"I'm the one that made an idiot of myself though—not that that's anything new." He sighs as he takes Happy under his arm. "We should go back to the forest."

"You should," she agrees. He frowns, somewhat disappointed, but she's in the right. The flames of her village burn in the background and the waves of heat cause her hair to flutter in the air, bringing her scent closer to him. He also catches an odder scent coming from the northwest but ignores it in favor of her.

"Will you… Okay. Okay." His ears twitch as he turns away from her, and maybe he expected her to call him back, because he messed up twice now but she can still see the good in him right? But she never opens her mouth, and he never stops walking further away from her, and eventually they both feel the last bubble burst. He drags his heavy feet and heavy body back into the forest, because where else do creatures like him belong?

"Natsu, are you gonna cry?" Happy asks all of a sudden, his voice seeming to echo all over the trees around them.

"Eh? Why'd you ask that, little buddy?"

"You're making a face like I do when I can't catch any fish."

"What? Really?" He squeezes his eyes shut with a broken exhale. "I'm sorry, I just…" He loses track of himself as he spots the starry sky through an opening in the trees. "Wow."

"Wow?"

"I just…need to be alone for a minute. C'mon, Haps, you get it don't you?"

"Mm…" Happy doesn't complain or protest as he floats into the air. "I'll be waiting in our cave," he says before flying into the sky. If he didn't feel alone before, he does now. He retreats to a secluded spot in the corner of the forest for some good old alone time.

The last person he expects to try to have a heart-to-heart with him is Gray.

"Go away—don't you have three pigs to eat or something?" Natsu grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest and keeping his eyes trained on the moon. Gray doesn't respond right away, instead sitting beside him on the cliff.

"Erza and I went to the village. We saw the smoke," he explains when Natsu whips around. His face darkens immediately as Gray sighs. "Few people were hurt and nobody died—at least, that's what we heard. The rest is superficial damage, which can easily be repaired."

"Unlike a relationship."

"Look I'm not going to go into details with you, mostly because I know we're not the best buddies around, but for a long time it's been just us, hasn't it? We've made do up until now."

"Yeah, well that was before…" He sighs, trailing off. Gray works his jaw for a moment, deep in thought.

"You like her?"

"Of course!"

"Do you…you know?" He gives Natsu a meaningful look that he quickly gleans the meaning of.

"I-I don't know about _that,_ " he mutters with less confidence. "But I do know that she smells nice."

"Smells nice?"

"Yeah. Like honey and cinnamon. Or was it wildflowers?" He growls and shakes his head, squeezing his knees. "I don't remember, but I do know that it made me feel really good, like how Igneel made me feel. Doesn't matter anyway. She's done with me now."

"Eh… I don't know about that. You've done a lot of stupid things around Erza and I and even Happy, but we still stomach you."

"That's different! She's _human!_ " Gray makes a noise like that's the topic he's been avoiding, even though that's the entire conversation to Natsu.

"That's the problem there. She's _human._ Nobody in her village can breathe fire, or make ice, or summon weapons from other dimensions. They don't have flying blue cats and they don't worry about hiding out to avoid discovery. Humans are an entirely different species with different problems, and one of those problems is us. We just don't…fit in with them. End of story."

"You've been thinking a lot about that?" Natsu asks. He inhales and falls silent for a moment.

"My old mentor, Ur, was a human woman."

"…You've never told us that before." He just shrugged a shoulder.

"She was very nice, and she didn't try to fight for dominance like the other animals out here. She said we were a team—equals." He pauses as if debating whether to say the next bit. "She also took her clothes off a lot."

"Wait what? _That's_ why you're so…" He gestures to Gray's completely naked form. He groans, apparently just having his eyes opened, but ignores it.

"Well, it's beside the point. Like I was saying, humans are in a different world for us."

"But we look like humans, don't we? …Well, more or less," he adds, glancing at his and Gray's tails side by side. "There's some reason why I'm not big and ferocious like Igneel and you're not an even uglier wolf and Erza's not a weak little fox and Happy's not a jaguar or something. We can make faces, we can smile, we can touch things with real hands," he says vehemently, clenching his fists. "And we can punch and kick and do all the things people can do, so what really makes us different?"

"Humans don't have magic, Natsu," he laments. "And as you've just seen, that's a big damn difference."

"I don't get it. Magic is, like, honey for us. I dunno," he says to Gray's slightly irritated expression. "It…sticks us together. And it's sweet. But it pushes the humans away? Maybe I'm just not using it right."

"Maybe you're not," he concedes.

"It doesn't matter anyway. Magic can't re-stick Lucy and me together after this." He looks away and at the ground, digging his claws into the soft soil. He knows, from experience, that his claws can very easily tear the soft skin of a squirrel just as easily as the tough muscle of a tiger. They weren't made for holding and touching and…whatever else it is that humans like to do.

Things are better this way.

* * *

One year later Magnolia is back to normal. Lucy has had little problems with what has happened—in fact, few of the inhabitants even remember it. It seems that what surrounds Natsu and co. is in fact a form of magic, because afterwards several dozen stories of what transpired circulated the town. She isn't complaining about that, but there's a new issue:

She has not seen Natsu and the others since the event.

It makes sense for Natsu to lay low, but not Erza and Gray, who she wants to ask about whatever they did to the townspeople. Magic has just seemed so much an alien concept to her, a thing borne of storybook tales and little girls' dreams, but seeing the three— _four_ of them, it was obvious that something was working out in that forest. She went to the forest two times after, and both times she encountered no living animal, instead suffering a silent thought-ridden walk to her grandmother's house. It's jarring now whereas she used to be plagued with fears of wolves eating her carcass. Now, well… Gray wouldn't eat her carcass, at least.

"Lucy," her mother warns gently as the cutting knife comes dangerously near her finger. Lucy awakens with a soft cough as she shifts the vegetables over from her hand.

"Oh, sorry Mama, I'm just…dazed."

"You've been dazed a long time, sweetheart." She swallows as Layla gently clasps her chin, bringing her eyes up. They were always told that they were like twin sisters, the same blonde hair curling from their heads and with the same dark eyes full of curiosity. _Look where that curiosity has gotten me,_ Lucy can't help but think. "What's the problem?"

"Mama, I…" It feels like a cheat to tell her of what she witnessed that day in the forest, even if she usually tells her mother everything. She swallows once, twice, feeling a pair of frogs stick in her throat. (Are those sentient too? She has started questioning every animal she's seen since then.) "I…"

"Lucy?" she says softly, placing a hand on her cheek. Lucy coughs and leans into the contact, resting her hand atop Mama's. "You can tell me anything, you know."

 _Then, if I told you of a pink-haired dragon boy and his flying blue cat, an ice-cold wolf, and a sword-wielding vixen with long hair like scarlet thread, would you believe me? No, you wouldn't, because they're things of stories, man and animal mixes that didn't before appear in our world. Would you also believe that it's because of me the village was almost burned to the ground? You gave me one warning, that was to avoid the creatures of the forest… I wish I had listened now._

"I know, Mama, but there's nothing to tell." Mama's hand returns to her side with a stiff, but still loving, expression on her face.

"As you say." They return to their earlier work, a stoic silence blanketing them alongside the scent of boiling herbs. She chops the last of the parsnips and shuffles them into the pot, setting the cutting board down softly. A coughing fit suddenly hits her, and she buries her mouth in the crook of her elbow to hide it. Layla grasps her shoulders thankfully, because a second later Lucy falls back into her arms.

"Lucy? Lucy!" she pleads, wrapping her arms around her and turning her head. Lucy's eyelids fluttered as Layla set a cool hand over your forehead. "You're warm… Oh my goodness. We have to go to my mother's."

"Mama, I don't want…don't want to go…" she murmurs feebly, but Layla doesn't even hear, extinguishing the fire beneath the pot and drawing Lucy's velvet cloak over her. She snuggles into the red fabric gratefully—if she focuses, she can even smell a hint of charcoal and wood smoke on it. She fears seeing him, but cradled in her mother's arms, she's at the mercy of Layla's movements as she runs outside calling for a carriage.

 _"_ _Grandma, Grandma, look how high I can go!" Lucy called down from the tree branch, her pink dress bunching around her. Porlyusica hung right beneath her, ready to catch her should something happen._

 _"_ _You're a spry little child, aren't you?" she called back. She giggled, used to her grandmother's odd words, before scurrying further up the bark, gaining little scratches on her short legs as she went. Her bright blonde hair was fixed into two braids to avoid getting caught on anything as she went higher to the next branch, at least fifteen feet from the grass, and stood up, tiny toes curling in excitement._

 _"_ _Hi, Grandma!" she waved with both hands._

 _"_ _Lucy, be careful, alright?"_

The carriage rolls roughly over the rocky pathway. Lucy barely feels the jolts as Layla cradles her torso against her, but she's hyperaware of her surroundings despite feeling dizzy and dazed. Layla gently strokes the back of her head and whispers to her, calming her even as her chest jumps with uneven breaths.

"Stay awake, Lucy," she urges.

"…hard…'m sleepy…"

"Lucy, please—"

 _"_ _Lucy, don't eat all the batter before I can even bake it!" Mama reprimanded with a laugh. Lucy grinned her missing-tooth grin, swiping an arm across the sticky brown substance staining her cheeks._

 _"_ _Sowwy, Mama." Mama chuckled and used the tail of her pretty blue dress to wipe Lucy's face._

 _"_ _It's okay, just be careful. You don't want to eat all the cake before the other kids can even try it, do you?" She tried to shake her head but Mama was still wiping it._

 _"_ _Can I still help?" she asked shyly when Mama was done. She smiled sweetly and rested her hand on Lucy's cheek, which she leaned into._

 _"_ _Of course. Take the bowl for me please, I'm going to let it bake." Mama went to the big brick oven while Lucy got up on her stepping stool to pick up the large bowl full of batter. She turned around and brought it to her, and when her hands were emptied she looked at the cooking firewood in interest. Mama was stirring the topping, sweet white cream, mm—Lucy knew how good it tasted—and she had the strawberries too, the ones they just picked from the garden—_

 _Suddenly scorching, blinding pain was on Lucy's arm. She screamed and fell back, staring at the burn the size of her palm that laid just above her elbow. Mama rushed into action, taking a funny-smelling paste from the cupboards and smearing it over the mark; all the while Lucy sobbed, her arm aching terribly like never before. "W-W-What was that?" she managed through her tears._

 _"_ _An ember jumped from the fire and onto you," she answered softly, now wrapping the injury with soft white cloth. When she was done, she held Lucy close to her chest as she cried. "Fire can be dangerous, Lucy, when we least expect it."_

She feels that same burn now, except it's all over her skin and not just on her arm. Her head feels full of clouds and it's so hard for her to catch breath. Layla keeps talking to keep her awake, but she just wants to close her eyes for a few seconds…

The horse suddenly whinnies in surprise, then the carriage veers sharply to the left. Her head spins even more from the shift but she can barely bring herself to move—her body feels like it's completely out of her control. A crash sounds from the side and the door splinters, wind rushing in from the fresh opening, and she catches sight of a feral golden eye. Another crash and the carriage flips to its side, Layla and Lucy getting thrown against the front. The door, which has been repositioned to above them, splinters and cracks apart in the face of grey jaws filled with yellowed, saliva-covered teeth.

 _Wolves._

Lucy forces herself to sit up and reaches for her mother, her hand stilling when she realizes that Layla is unconscious, a bleeding gash sticking her bangs to her forehead. The wolf hisses as its head makes it through, glaring at Lucy and licking its chops. Keeping her eyes on it, she grips her mother beneath her arms and pulls her up. The wolf chooses that moment to strike again, smashing several boards and fitting its entire upper body into the carriage. She whimpers pitifully, hoping, _praying_ for Natsu, Gray, or Erza, or even Happy to help.

 _"_ _I'm always careful, Grandma!" she pouted, hands on her hips and swaying back and forth. Porlyusica smiled a little but her frown was still apparent in her wrinkled face as Lucy ascended even more, now twenty feet from the grass. "You don't need to wait here!" She visibly didn't like it, but she backed away to give Lucy room._

 _"_ _Alright, but don't climb any higher, okay?" As a child, Lucy took that as a challenge, and she didn't even take a break as she shimmied further up the bark. The problem was, however, that the bark was smoother the higher she went, making it harder to get a hold in it. She tried to jam her foot in a crack at one point but miscalculated, her toes sliding down the trunk instead, and when she looked down in surprise, she realized how high she really went._

 _"_ _G-Grandma!" she whimpered, tears swelling in the corners of her eyes. She made to climb down, but as she reached the branch right below her, the termite-eaten wood suddenly gave, and with her whole weight already shifted, she lost her grip. Lucy fell away from the tree and started falling._

Warmth seems to concentrate around Lucy's forehead and cheeks and she gets another dizzy spell, the wolf shifting into double and quadruple images, the feel of its drool dripping on her cheek abstract. She watches the wolf struggle, then another one's head appears in the window next to the door, followed by scratching directly behind her. She doesn't even want to imagine what they did to the horse and the coach—she wants to go free with her mother and out of the forest. Her sickness is making things harder too: she can barely focus, and she wants to pass out so badly.

"Natsu, help me," she whispers, hugging her mother close. The heat increases even more until she feels like she might burn away from the inside-out. It makes her think of his Fire Dragon's Roar, the heat prickling her skin but not burning. This heat, though, this heat is horrible, like the memory of an old scar. The memory of…of…

 _"_ _Hurts, Mama," Lucy whimpered. Mama rubbed gentle circles into her back and sang softly, soothing her heart until she could stop crying with a few sniffles. Her love radiated like a sun and Lucy smiled a little, burying her head in Mama's chest, the pain of the burn fading away to the back of her mind…_

 _"_ _Lucy," Mama said, her voice high with surprise. Lucy looked up and saw Mama's eyes focused on her arm. She turned it over and saw the edges of the burn fading into the center, disappearing completely to show her pale skin until the wound was completely gone._

She wants the heat out; she wants the wolves gone…

 _"_ _UAH!" she screamed as the grass swelled up towards her. Porlyusica was too far, she wouldn't catch her in time. She closed her teary eyes and covered her face with her arms, wishing for something to soften her landing._

 _Warmth blossomed from her chest and head outwards until it was all over her. She cracked her eyes open and saw a faint golden glow surrounding her arms. As she collided with the grass, the light acted as a sort of cushion, causing her to bounce and roll onto her back. She stared up at the sky, shocked, as Porlyusica ran over and picked her up._

 _"_ _Oh, Lucy," she said quietly, brushing the grass from her dress. "I hoped that this wouldn't happen to you." She rested her hand against Lucy's forehead and a soft white glow emanated from her palm. Lucy suddenly swayed, feeling sleepy, and within seconds she was collapsed in her grandmother's arms._

Bright golden light burst from Lucy's skin, covering her peripheral until all she can see is the warm glow. The wolves disappear with pained whinnies and she blinks until the glow is gone, little scorches left in her retinas. Several holes have been burned through the carriage; she uses one to push her mother through carefully before climbing out herself. Several scorch marks branch out in a circle from the carriage, and the wolves are scattered with charred patches on their grey fur. She clasps her hands at her heart, shocked, and her knees buckle a second later. She feels as if she's run the distance from Fiore to Bosco, she's so exhausted. She doubts she can do it again as the first wolf, the largest, gets to its feet and shakes itself off.

"Please," she whispers, hoping for another miracle. It doesn't happen immediately, but she's suddenly aware of an imposing presence right behind her.

"Mooove away from Lucy!" a deep voice booms before a silver weapon swings at it. The wolf jumps out of the immediate path, but then it swings again, the blunt side knocking it aside and sending it barrel rolling. She blinks and rubs her eyes, but there is, in fact, a large, muscled bull in black undershorts standing protectively ahead of her, a large axe in his hands.

"W-What are… Who are…" she stammers, baffled, and he turns and gives her a smirk.

"Taurus. You summoned me with your magic."

 _Magic? I don't have magic! I'm not Natsu or Gray or…_ Her eyes widen and she covers her mouth in shock. "Grandmother's house… And when the fire burned me…" Taurus starts to speak again, then the wolf returns in a fury.

"Sorry, Lucy, but it looks like I'm going to go woodcutting!" He leaps out of the wolf's way, surprisingly limber for something so big, and slams his axe into a nearby oak. The slightly-chipped blade slices through the bark like butter, and in one shot the tree falls. The wolf, caught in a tough spot, has nowhere to go, and the tree falls right on top of it.

"Tau…Taurus…" she whispers before the last of her energy goes, and she falls forward. Before she hits the ground, tanned and warm arms go around her.

* * *

She stirs to life in her grandmother's house. She works herself into a sitting position, which is when a blue fur-ball rams into her chest. "Lucy, you're awake!" he exclaims.

"H…Happy?" She rubs his head and he purrs gratefully.

"Natsu was so scared! I think he cried a little."

"I…what…?"

"Lucy?" Porlyusica walks through the doorway with a tray of tea and a bowl of water. She sets them down on the nightstand and brushes the hair from her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"I…warm…what happened?"

"You were riding a carriage through the woods. It was attacked by wolves." Suddenly the blurred memories are sharp as a knife and she inhales.

"That bull— Taurus—where is Taurus?"

"He returned to his world. Spirits do that when their Caster is unable to hold their magic." She takes a deep breath as Happy looks on in interest.

"He said I have… Back then, with the tree, and with Mama… You're saying I do have magic?" Porlyusica frowns as she nods.

"Magic is iffy with generations. Because your mother had none, I feared it would transfer to you from me, and when you were young, my suspicions were confirmed. I sealed it away for when you were ready."

"And when was that going to be?" She sounds extremely bitter, and for good reason too. "And— And where is Mama?"

"I've set up the guest cot. She's alright, just a bit concussed." Lucy moans and grips her grandmother's comforters. "I'll answer any questions you have."

"Did you know about Natsu and the others before?"

She hesitates. "I knew there was a dragon a long time ago," she answers. "I did not know of them specifically, not until I saw them."

"And is this…magic…the reason you didn't want me to go with them?"

"Yes. I was afraid being around them would weaken the seal."

"Can you do this odd summoning too?" Porlyusica shakes her head.

"Magic, while hereditary, varies. I have some healing and psychic abilities, but I can't summon. The name for it, also, is Celestial Spirit Magic."

"Celestial Spirit…"

"It allows you to summon otherworldly beings to your aid. Taurus appeared because you don't have a grasp on it, but with time and learning, you will be able to summon more." Lucy thinks about it silently, then her eyes wander to the corner. Natsu tries to avoid her gaze but fails.

"Can I get some time alone, Grandma?"

"Of course." She rises and takes a cloth from Lucy's forehead that she didn't notice before, dipping it in the bowl and replacing it before leaving. Natsu gets up but Lucy stops him.

"Why did you leave?" It's the question he's been dreading for a long while. He spins his tail between his hands uneasily.

"I didn't really leave… I was still here. You didn't want to see me."

"Did you know about this?"

"No, I didn't know you have magic."

"Did you know about the _wolves?_ " He hesitates.

"Not until it was too late," he says. "I was pretty far off, and I only heard it when that big monster showed up. You know that if I was there, those wolves would be crisps right now," he rumbles. Lucy gives him a long look that he matches without turning. Eventually, her eyes soften as she strokes Happy's wings.

"Are you still mad at Natsu?" he asks. Natsu waits for the answer like a death sentence.

"No, not really," she says eventually, and he releases a huge breath. "He did what he did to protect me. It was too much, but good intentioned. I realized that after a long time…too late, I guess."

"You have magic now," he says with a little smile. "That makes us the same."

"I don't know how to feel about that," she says honestly. "The magic, I mean."

"Great! I mean, you should feel great! Magic is one of the best things in the world! In the universe! Maybe even in the…the… Happy, what's bigger than a universe?"

"Your stomach," he answers immediately. He glowers while Lucy hides a chuckle beneath her hand and has to grin. "I missed that sound."

"My laugh?"

"Your voice. I had to go real far so I wouldn't hear it, because I knew if I did, I'd come running back…" He trails off as she stares wide-eyed and rubs his neck apprehensively. "It's a nice sound, is what I'm trying to say."

"T…Thank you," she says, turning away with a blush. The sight makes him blush too, despite himself. Happy laughs beneath his paws.

"You two looove each other," he purrs.

"Shut up, you stupid cat!" Lucy hisses, pulling his cheeks. She sets him down and swings her legs to the floor, standing. He takes a step forward in case she falls, but she's steady on her feet. He follows her from the bedroom to the main room, where her mother lay sleeping on the cot. Lucy rests her hand on her arm a moment before taking a deep breath.

"This magic thing," she starts. "Is it…painful?"

"Well, I can't say for you, 'cause your magic's different from mine. But I don't think it's painful, no." She mulls it over, gently stroking her mother's hair. Then:

"Will you…teach me?"

He smiles. "I got nothing better to do. What about you, Happy?"

"Nope!"

Lucy is almost scary quiet as she steps away from her mom and heads into the kitchen. "Grandma, I think I want to be a wizard."

* * *

"Open, Gate of the Water Bearer," Lucy commands, eyes on the cool blue lake ahead of her. "Aquarius!"

"She's on a date," Loki says, appearing next to her. "I, on the other hand, am free, sweetheart."

"Natsu."

"Let's go, lion," he growls, jerking his thumb towards the forest. "Go hunt some bunnies or something."

"I'll be back," Loki smirks with a bow before vanishing. She sighs with faux lament.

"I wish my repertoire wasn't full of perverts and weirdos."

"Well, they match you."

"Aye."

"Shut up, you two!" she hisses. Natsu laughs.

"But it's okay, 'cause you're my weirdo." He sets his hand on her head and she blushes a little from the contact.

"I'm not a weirdo…" All three sets of ears perk at the sound of growling that grows less distant by the second. Then golden eyes appear in the brush, followed by streaks of grey fur. "More wolves," she grumbles.

"It's okay." He lights his hands ablaze. "They won't even make it within five feet of you, at least not in one piece." She interrupts him by flashing her hand with her golden magic.

"Sure they won't, but _I'll_ be the one fighting."

"Let's see," he challenges, and they both leap forward.


	4. Those Ignorant to History (Are Doomed to

**Summary -** The embodiment of darkness and herald of the stars have been fighting for centuries and have died each time only to reincarnate. Then, to their surprise, their newest - and final - reincarnation is that of two humans, Natsu and Lucy.

* * *

 **Those Ignorant to History (Are Doomed to Repeat It)**

 **X102**

It was always in the same spot that we fought. We'd been clashing there for so long that I didn't know if it was the first place we ever crossed weapons, or if it was a significant piece of land…none of that. What I did know with all certainty was that I expected her, and contrariwise, she expected me.

The sun was high and bright that day as we faced each other across the barren landscape. The pale dirt bunched beneath my toes, which I could see rather than feel, as most of my skin was covered in a veil of darkness so thick everything seemed abstract to me. The darkness had been there as long as I have, like a second skin—no pun intended—that appeared whenever her light was nearby, like a sensor. It curled my nails into claws that could tear skin and muscle in one move and covered my face like a mask. It emanated from me like a mark of death, turning plants grey and making people sick when I walked past. But after all, it just brought out the monster that was already inside me.

"Are you just going to stand there and look pretty, E.N.D.?" she said, her voice easily carrying across the ground, across the heavens. If I was like a messenger from Hell, she was my exact opposite, an angel from the heavens. Her long hair flowed down her back but it was always bound with these ornate cups and pins and bangles. She wore a breastplate carved with several murals that I could never understand, and in a pouch at her side were her Keys, not that she needed them—she was a powerhouse on her own.

"No way," I answered with a grin, raising my claws. "Half the fun is staring. You're pretty sexy after all."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." She curled her fingers around a pretend handle and swung forward. Light bended through her hand and grew longer and longer until she held a whip made of shining golden energy. She pulled her arm back, the whip arcing like a fish in the sunlight, before swinging.

I waited until the last second before sidestepping, but I'd made a miscalculation: the whip extended as she swung it, and I could feel the air split where she swung, I dodged so narrowly. It struck the ground and brought up huge waves of dirt on either side from the force of the impact. In the same move she was already bringing it up again, swinging towards the side. I tensed before jumping into the air, getting high above the battlefield. She looked up, dark eyes narrowed in focus, and raised her arm. I pushed forward to avoid the swipe, but I didn't expect her to change mid-strike and the whip shifted around to coil around my ankle. Before she could pull me down, though, I swiped at her with my claws.

 _Ching!_ My magic bounced off of her breastplate as she was sent skidding backwards, arms up instinctively to brace herself from the impact. Still, my claws left large scores in the heavy celestial bronze. She recovered quickly and yanked back, causing the whip to tighten and drag me down to the dirt and across the field before she snapped it, sending me flying into the air. I grabbed the whip before she could retract it and pushed my own magic through, causing it to turn black and burst into stardust. She released it before my magic could touch and burn her, and she braced herself before kicking off into the sky with a huge cloud of dust. In her cupped hands formed a lustrous broadsword that she swung with all her might.

"Die, you wretched creature of the night!" she screamed as the blade connected with my side. I felt its bite as her magic iced mine down, leaving a trail of black smoke instead of blood. Before she could slice me through, I made sure to grasp her slim neck with my claws.

"You're on your way with me," I rasped, and as she pulled, I tightened my grip. All went dark.

 **X322**

"Do you feel the bite of Celestial Magic?" I hissed as I nocked another wispy golden arrow on my hand-crafted bow, modeled with the same design as the rest of my armor. I circled the demon via my mount, an albino mare christened Albury, hooves kicking up huge clouds of dust as I worked on whittling the great dragon E.N.D. down.

"I've felt worse bites from lice," he retorted, digging onyx claws as thick as tree trunks into the earth as he leaned forward. The sunlight glinted dangerously off of his scarlet scales, then his large and jagged teeth as he leered at me. I smelled smoke seconds before he made his next move, and with a firm tug on Albury's reins, she skidded to a stop and raced in the opposite direction.

" _Fire Dragon's Roar!_ " A great typhoon of orange and golden flames blasted from his mouth, searing across the grasslands and through the sequoia trees that had been growing the last few decades, reducing anything and everything to ethernano in mere seconds. I dropped the visor of my helmet to keep my vision clear, but sweat formed beneath the bronze from the heat generated. Albury cried out at the temperature and I caressed her mane, urging her to run faster as E.N.D.'s flames fanned out.

"What's the matter, brave knight? Can you not stand the heat?" he jeered, and through the sparks and smoke, I heard his massive hands and feet pounding as he began to move. Then, with the ominous noise of rustling fabric, a gale force one wind blew through the forest, taking Albury off her hooves and sending both of us rolling across the ashy ground. The advantage was that the flames were cleared; the con, E.N.D.'s wings were spread for flight.

"Go fly away like the insect you are!" I shouted, flipping over so that my heels dug into the earth and increased my traction. He flapped his wings again, stirring up small black tornadoes of ash, and after a moment his feet left the ground. Before he could get too high, I summoned a saber in place of an arrow, and I used magic to thicken the bowstring before nocking and firing. The saber pierced through his left wing. "But you'll have a grand time trying to with one wing!" Celestial Magic erupted from the hole created, zapping about his wing like lightning. He bellowed long and loud, a beast's cry of agony, before he pitched to the right, his single wing unable to keep him aloft. I righted Albury and jumped to her saddle, and she took off as E.N.D.'s shadow grew against the ground.

"You're baiting a dragon's fury, are you, littlest star?" he growled as he remedied himself, forcing his wings straight and gliding low across the ground. His hand crept up on me fast, and I felt him seize me by the hair before I stabbed an arrow into his palm. Crimson blood as hot as lava leaked from the wound, searing the ground as his pained roar filled the air. He recoiled instinctively, and his blood arced into the air before splattering across me and Albury.

"Aahn!" Albury cried in pain as her skin and fur of her haunch was burned through with the terrible scent of rot, exposing sinew and bone beneath. I could feel my shoulder plate dissolve and I hurriedly unclipped it, letting it roll away behind us, but the damage was done: my primary arm was made useless. I shed my celestial plates and raised my hands, letting them burn with my magic. E.N.D.'s wings folded, sending him crashing down on a course to crush me, but as he grew near, I made sure to burn his heart out before I was finished.

 **X680**

She was standing in a plaza of shining grey cobblestones and delicately carved pillars made into the image of the beings twirling between them. Aquarius the Water Bearer hung in a white stone fountain grumbling angrily to herself; Virgo the Maiden eyed her pillar and then herself, comparing images; Taurus the Golden Bull used a memorial placard built of steel to sharpen his battleax as nobody watched; Leo the Lion hovered alongside his goddess, his celestial bronze glinting like the shimmering gold of her gown. Her hair was loose and spiraled down her shoulder, and it glittered as she threw her head back and laughed. Like the stars around her, she shone with enough radiance to light up the night.

Why couldn't I be down there laughing alongside them? Oh, right, it was because I was a _demon,_ because I was _evil._ Best not to disappoint them, then.

I slid down the hill that led to their little gala, my bare feet moving easily across the dewy grass before it all withered and died in my presence. If there was anything that I despised, it was my alternative forms: one day, I would be inhumanly venomous, and the next, a hulking scaly beast. Always one or the other, while my beautiful goddess remained as pure and holy as freshly fallen snow—another extravagance I never experienced.

Virgo was the first to see me coming, navy eyes widening as she turned to alert the others. "No need," I said, reaching towards her. My touch would've spelt her death, star or no star, but before my claws could touch her, a spiked whip locked around my wrist. My magic faded away at the sight of her light, and my skin burned with a smell like sulfur.

"You won't be laying a claw on my friends," she hissed with more venom than even I could muster, eyes narrowed to hateful chips. More than anything, I loved seeing her mad: it meant that, like me, she was still human and thus flawed. She was no goddess, no star like her friends—she was simply one who had been blessed with their Keys and strength, and like any other blessing, it all could be snatched away within a moment.

"I want a dance," I told her. "Is that too much to ask for?"

"From a creature such as you?" she said through her teeth. "Very much."

"Leave now," Leo cautioned, a hand on his sheathed sword. I twisted my arm around to grab her whip, the scald just a dull pain in the back of my mind.

"I said I want a _dance._ I wish you'd indulge me this once, littlest star." And I yanked on the whip. Surprised, her grip held, causing her to jerk forward and her head to bump into my chest. While she was still stunned, I wrapped one arm around her waist, and the other, my claw-free hand, I linked with hers. Our skin blackened in contact with one another, and her face screwed in pain, but she quickly hid it beneath a scowl.

"Release her." Leo was growling now, sword drawn and with the starlight reflecting ominously from the silver blade. Virgo had her chains in hand and Taurus' ax was cocked for a swing. But then again, the bottom line was the same: should they hurt me, they would kill her, either by piercing us both or by causing our blood to mix.

"Let _go,_ " she hissed, trying to pull away.

"Littlest star," I said, making sure to have her attention, "your light is the beacon of the night where my darkness would otherwise reign as the supremacy. But, you see, I am not made irate by the fact: in fact, I find pleasure in your endless radiance. It is, after all, what makes this immortal life all the more worth it to live. People…no, calling us anything of that sort would be a cruel, gross lie…beings such as us could not find entertainment otherwise. Like that, let us clash again and again, over and over for the rest of eternity, until I finally catch your light between my claws and tear away your wings and crush you into stardust."

Then I kissed her. And, to be honest, it was the most anticlimactic deaths we've had so far.

 **X791**

My head ached, as did every other nerve in my body. While the stars were usually my friends, it felt as if the sun was compressing into my skull. I grabbed my temples with a moan and had to wait out the pain before I could even think of opening my eyes. At first, all felt icy cold, then I was aware of a radiant heat spreading out from my upper arm.

"Lucy."

 _Who is that? Moreover, it has to have been a century at the very least. Who else would know my sobriquet aside from the stars?_

"Littlest star, wake up. Wake up and _see,_ " that voice hissed. _Littlest star…_ I was accustomed to that.

"Mm…" Things appeared blurry yellow at first, but after a few moments I could make out the crescent moon amidst a cerulean sky. There were no stars and not but wisps of slate-grey clouds, which made my stomach turn with disquiet. My limbs felt heavy and stiff and my head continued to spin so violently I feared I would be nauseous.

"Look at _us,_ Lucida."

My eyes felt tender, as did my neck, but I shifted to finally gaze at my accoster. His face was closest to me, soft pink strands falling from his spikes and lightly brushing my brow. His eyes are large, sharp, and intense, emerald about their circumference yet dark and endless in their cores. He seemed familiar, as if by an old dream. At the sight of my eyes, a small smile quirked his lips as he sat back on his heels. "Welcome back to the world," he said in a low, smooth voice.

"Who are…" I caught sight of my arms, pale and freckled and entirely bare. I dragged them down my chest and found nothing there, not a shred of my celestial bronze that I'd worn as armor since…the beginning. Additionally, I couldn't feel any ethernano in the air, and without ethernano, I couldn't use my magic. My hair fell loosely around my shoulders and back, unbound and without my Zodiac clip I'd received from Loki so long ago. "My things—what have you done with my things?" I hissed. He gave me a shrug that was essentially _The hell would I know?_

"I'm just as barren as you, littlest star. Have you ever known me to be without my magic, my scales?" Suddenly it occurred to me who he was, and the thought made my fingers curl.

"E.N.D." The word was spat like venom. He winced only for a moment, but it bewildered me all the same.

"You didn't answer my question."

"No, I didn't theft your armor in your sleep—precisely what do you take me for?" he sighed, slapping his palm against his forehead and leaning back. He was sitting cross-legged to be level with me, and around us all that existed was pasture and sky, however in the far distance I could see faint lights. "What I can say is…it seems something went wrong with our reincarnation."

"You think?" I snapped. He disregarded that and tilted his head back towards the sky.

"Look, I know darkness and light associates as well as oil and water, but right now, we've no choice but to cooperate."

"I'd rather lay out here and let the wolves get me." True to my words, a howl sounds, and it was not nearly as distant as civilization.

"Well, as much as I'd love to leave you out there," he stated flatly, "I'm not going to let you die."

"Yes, because it's _your_ job to kill me, isn't it?" He grimaced again. "Have you truly chosen _now_ of all centuries to feign innocence, E.N.D.?"

"That's not it. I just don't fight this random…perplexing…situation to be appropriate for our next fight. Especially since, well." He gave a pointed look to my undressed state with no legible expression. "There just wouldn't be any fun in it."

"You're one to talk," I pointed out. He glanced at himself, tanned planes bare for the world, and gave me a half-smile.

"Fair point well made. Let's go look for some clothes. We're near to a village, I believe." He stood and walked off. Any other man would've offered a hand, but through all of our encounters, one fact remained: we scorched each other. Even though we were entirely normal then, I still didn't like the idea of testing our new limits. As I stood, I felt a lot heavier than usual, even though my armor wasn't present.

"I could really use a favor," I called out to the heavens, but for the first time in my very long life, the stars were silent.

* * *

A ranch came into view by first the cows, then the slanted wooden farmhouse. The demon is halted by the sight of the bovines, and a wide grin stretches across his face as he throws his arms around one. "I've always wanted to touch one of these, but my magic has always repelled them!" he cried, beside himself with ecstasy. "Aww, she's so soft~" he purred, nuzzling her side and caressing her head.

"What in the…" I'd seen E.N.D. in many forms: fury, conceit, valor, sociopathy… This, this id however, that was just weird. I'd begun to wonder if our new re-embodiments would disturb our psyches as much as our appearances and magic ampules.

"Don't you like cows, Lucida?" he queried abruptly, glancing at me with wide and innocent eyes.

"I don't know! It's not something I've ever thought about!"

"Well I have!" he huffed with all the petulant finality of a three-year-old. "There have always been too many things I couldn't touch, lest I…" Lest he cause them to disintegrate or rot or burn away by the force of his being. "This, though, this is pleasant. Touching is nice. Did you know that grass is heavy with dew early in the morning?" he said delightedly. I wanted to say something, but there were more impertinent matters.

"Let's go find some clothes."

"Right, right."

The house was empty with the door unlocked as we entered. I was loathe to take clothes without the owner's permission, but E.N.D. hadn't the same scruples, and returned from a backroom with an armful of fabric. "We'll return these later," he said absently, trying to sweep past me.

"No, we won't. I don't want to steal these people's clothes."

"Gods, you're so prissy even now," he scorned, rolling his eyes. "Tell me, do _you_ have money on you? Anything to trade but the fine gold of your hair?" He took a lock between his fingers for emphasis, letting it run between the calloused pads like silk. "No? I didn't think so." He fished through the pile and came up with a threadbare shirt large and long enough to be a dress. "So I suggest you get with it now and worry about compensation later." He tossed the shirt over at me before looking again.

"You—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said, sticking his tongue out. He found a pair of pants that could fit his tall frame and paused. "Been a long time since I could wear clothes," he muttered to himself. He pulled on a drawstring shirt that clung well to his torso. "Feels scratchy." Suddenly his head snapped towards the back wall, eyes narrowed. I recognized that expression very well—he was tensing for action. "They are returning. We must take our leave." He flung a pair of overlarge work boots at me and stomped on a pair of his own.

"These won't fit me," I told him. "It's not as if earth has ever bothered me previously."

"You might think otherwise," he replied forebodingly, moving past me. It appeared that he had retained some of his otherworldly abilities unlike myself, as he was across the room in a flash. "Well?" he stated flatly, waving a hand towards the door in exaggeration. Again, I was conflicted, but as we didn't have a choice otherwise…

"Where are we going?" I asked as he had us running through the mud. The night air had it cool against my bare ankles and it was dry enough that I wouldn't get stuck. He gave me a sidelong look with the corner of his mouth quirked.

"We're going to run," he said as the sound of hooves on pavement reached my ears. "But we're going to need a shortcut."

"A shortcut?" The strong scent of feces hit me as we came up to a border of a thick wooden fence, and beyond that was a cluster of pigs in significantly softer mud among other things. I twisted around, shoving my feet into the dirt. "I'm not going to—"

"Up you go!" E.N.D. said brightly as his strong hands clasped around my waist, and within my next breath I was soaring over the fence. It was only by centuries of training that I didn't fall on my face, thank the _gods,_ but my hands and feet were encrusted with the pigs' waste. Still, I had gotten off spot-free elsewhere…that is, until the demon came leaping after me, quite literally causing a splash. "I can still jump high!" he cried gleefully, turning to me with big eyes and a bigger, boyish grin. "Lucida, did you see—"

"I can't see a _thing_ at the moment, thanks to you."

"Whoops…" It took a moment, but he wiped away the muck currently dripping from every spare inch of my body, at least around my eyes so I could see his amused and sheepish expression. "Let's keep moving before this shit dries."

It had never been in my wildest dreams to be making an escape from a farm with E.N.D., my longtime rival, but there we were, running across the grass with nothing but moonlight and stardust in the air. I looked over and saw him whooping and shouting with glee into the night sky, which reflected off of his eyes as true jewels. In all the time I'd known him, I'd never seen him so…boyish. So carefree and excitable. And he didn't just act like a human, he looked like one too. No longer was he clothed in blackness or scales, but tanned skin and spiky pink hair and shining eyes. For a brief moment, I recalled that, like me, he was once human.

The village seemed to burn with its own effervescence as we drew closer, which was when we realized it was a large town rather than a simple parish. To the west of it was mountains edged by forestry, and opposite was the grass and farmland we just escaped from. We were a handful of steps away from the dirt roads lining the town when E.N.D. came to a rigid stop, every muscle in his body fraught and eyes narrowed.

"Something…is coming," he uttered through a tight jaw, shaking slightly from the tension building within. "I must…" He raised hands, hands no longer threatening with claws long and sharp, and gave a furious grunt, clenching his fists. He marched off without another word, diving into a cluster of foliage. I didn't have time to think up another brilliant hiding spot before twin white lights shone from down the road, blinding me with their luminosity. I squinted my eyes against the radiance, wondering if there was in fact magic still in the world, then I caught sight of the producer of the light.

A machine of some sort, the size of a large boulder and crafted of steel, humming like a cobra with prey in sight. I froze for a moment, then cursed myself for succumbing to fear, but that hesitation was enough for the contraption to be upon me. As it grew closer, the warning lights didn't appear as bright, and I could make out two faces within: one male, one female.

"Whoa, you okay?" The humming cut off to make way for the man's voice. A door on the side of the machine swung open and he leapt to the ground. He was young, a build similar to E.N.D.'s, and was clothed in an oddly-patterned shirt and with blue trousers tucked into combat boots. He started towards me, then came up short. "Wow, you're, uh, you stink."

"Gray!" The second door opened to allow what I thought had long since passed: a female warrior. Her hair, scarlet as blood, was pinned away from her sharp features, and through her sleeveless top and short pants, I could see powerful muscles working beneath her skin. "That's no way of speaking to a lady!" she snapped to her friend.

"I'm sorry, but it's true," he huffed in reply.

"I apologize for his unruly behavior," the maiden warrior said, slapping him on the shoulder hard enough to elicit a grunt. "I'm Erza, and this is Gray. What's happened to you?"

"I, err… I got lost," I said. It wasn't in my nature to lie, but I had the feeling that my true story would raise eyebrows. "I've made it here from a long way away as to complete an old task, however several…hitches have arisen. As of now, I'm completely out of luck." They exchanged a look, then returned puzzled gazes to me. "Is something…the matter?" I knew that I was covered in pig excrement, and that that alone could warrant some odd looks, but at that moment they seemed focus on something else.

"The way you speak," Gray said before trailing off thoughtfully, itching the back of his neck. "It's…weird."

"Weird…" I've always found it a blessing that the language in its entirety never changed, never mind the nuances of grammar and construction.

"I have to admit, it's peculiar," Erza added, then shook her head. "Never mind that, though. Would you like to come to my home to clean up?"

"I…would love that. Thank you very much." There was still research to be done on E.N.D. and my conditions, but it could wait until I didn't have dried mud sticking my toes together.

"I just cleaned the interior," Gray muttered as Erza ushered me in first, then slid in to my right. Ahead was a panel of lighted buttons that I couldn't help but be amazed at. Gray slid in to the right, and after shutting the door he reached beneath a wheel and turned a key. The humming returned in full force before quieting somewhat as the machine moved across the road, the same speed as a horse drawn carriage. "I guess it's too late to ask if you're some serial killer," he said casually, glancing at me before returning his eyes to the road.

"No, no," I replied, and I had to chuckle with it. Erza joined in as well, her dark eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Your name?"

"It's, ah, Lu…" If the nuances of my speech were odd, my name would stick out even more. It was enough of a rarity two hundred years ago—"Lucida Sidera." I've been told it meant _of the stars,_ a very long time ago, and I took pleasure in that. However, there was another name I was known by, one that the lion constellation delighted in labelling me, that I believed would fare better. "Lucy is what they call me."

" _They?_ Who's that, the Ghostbusters?" Gray chuckled. Erza laughed too, and although I didn't get the joke, I laughed as to not be singled out. But my name seemed to be well-received. He turned, and all of a sudden, we were surrounded by tall, silver buildings and complex ones alike, and many, many more of these machines rolling across tarred roads. People milled about on walkways despite the late hour—or was it early? We had been out for a long while.

"My house is right around here," Erza said as Gray turned again into dual rows of houses painted the same color. He stopped in front of what looked identical to all the others. "Come on." She had to leave first, then I hopped to the ground gratefully, my legs feeling shaky from the machine's engine. Erza led me to the front, which was illuminated by odd lights unlike Lacrimas, and as I waved my hand around them, I found that they emitted the same heat. "Welcome," she smiled as she opened the door, revealing a sparsely furnished main room. There were some seats and closed door as well as an open arch leading into the kitchen. "The bathroom is right over there. I'll see if I have any clothes you can wear."

"Thank you again, Miss Erza."

If the town outside was a wonder, the bathroom is even more so. There is a marble bathtub and sink and toilet as I was used to, but instead of drawing water from outside in a basin, there are outlets protruding from the blue and green tiled walls alongside dual knobs made of clear glass. I tried both and found that one creates hot water, the other cold.

 _Modern innovations are wondrous,_ I thought.

I took off the clothes from the farmland and, although it pained me to do so, threw them away. I doubted that they were salvageable any longer. I pumped as much hot water as I could into the tub and sunk in, feeling it wash off the grime and grit from our journey. Our journey… I wondered idly if E.N.D. found somewhere to go, then cursed myself for it. _Maybe he's helped you this once, but he's still the longstanding enemy,_ I kept in mind. I spotted some sweet-smelling soap perched on the corner of the tub and used it to wipe the remnants of dirt from my body. I thought that I could understand what it meant to be a human now, and I wondered if there was another step. _We've been fighting for eons now… Perhaps this is the stars' way of telling us to stop? This is a place of no magic, of no demons or celestial maidens. This is… This is…_

I decided not to worry about _what_ it was and instead put my energy towards _why_ it was. To do that, I needed to _learn._ Learn how to speak the modern language, learn of the new devices and machines, learn about Gray and Erza, even… Knowledge was what I needed, and it would come at a price. I couldn't manage alone.

I pulled the plug to let the browned water swirl away, and after that was done I let the faucet run and washed away the bits clinging to the sides of the tub. I was drying myself when Erza knocked on the door: "I have some clothes for you, Lucy." I left the towel on my hair and opened the door, smiling as she passed the bundle over to me. Her eyes roved over my naked body before a smirk pulled at her pink lips. "Confident in your body, are you? I appreciate that in a woman—it's rare."

"I suppose," I said, because I didn't know how else to respond. I found that undergarments had gone through the largest change in the centuries, and they made me flush to put them on, but the loose shirt and pants she provided were fine otherwise. I braided my still-wet hair down my shoulder and returned to the main room to see Erza and Gray having an animated conversation, Gray's previously frosty expression melting into loud laughter.

"Lucy," he chuckled as he saw me, acknowledging my return. I nodded politely and sat across from them carefully.

"I apologize for the interruption, and especially since we are unfamiliar, however…I would like to impose upon you for a favor." They still appeared at ease though, with a friendly warmth I was unversed with from humans.

"Of course," Erza said, nodding. "What is it?"

"I…don't have anybody else to turn to for assistance as of now…as a matter of fact, I'm on my own indefinitely…" As much as I didn't like it, the stars were the most silent they had ever been. "And seeing as I'm in an unknown environment, I would…if you two are willing…"

"You need a hand, right?" Gray finished. "To help you off your feet?"

"I don't follow you."

"Some support to get you started here," Erza supplied. I smiled in relief and nodded. "Well, that won't be too hard to give. The main thing you'd need is a job." Work, yes, that concept I am familiar with. "Hmm… You could perhaps work with us."

"Where do you two work, exactly?"

"In theatre," Gray answered. "A troupe called Fairy Tail. The way you talk, you wouldn't even have to act." Entertainment? Now _that_ was a first for me.

"What would I have to do?"

"Considering that you're new, you would be doing a lot of backstage work. Passing messages, taking notes, adjusting props and such… It would be easy, and we make enough money per show to pay you a fraction of an actor's wages for it." Erza lifted her chin slightly. "Actually, if the Master likes you, you could maybe even start off with light roles."

"The…Master?"

"Our boss," Gray amended with a wince. "Some people call him _master_ because…I really don't know why. But he'd be happy to give you an advance payment if you explained your situation—it'd be enough to get yourself a little place, some clothes, basic stuff."

"You two are doing so much for so little in return…"

"We're not looking for anything in return," he said pointedly, crossing his arms and leaning back. "We just do the right thing 'cause it's the right thing. We don't pride ourselves on having common sense." Erza nodded her agreement. "So, you think you wanna act?" he finished with a slight smile, eyebrows raised.

 _Perhaps things can be easy, living in this new time,_ I believed. What I said was: "I'll give it my best shot."

 **X792**

"Lu-chan!" I spun around in time to catch a wad of blue curls and excitement in my arms. Levy raised her head with a flushed-cheek grin as she blew some stray locks from her face.

"Levy! Where's the fire?"

"Look, look, look!" she exclaimed, waving her phone in my face. I had to grab her wrists to still her hand enough to read it. To my surprise, Kemu Zaleon's new novel had come out three months early.

"Wow, this _is_ great!"

"I know, right!" she beamed, jumping back. "Right after rehearsal I'm going to BookLand! You're coming too?"

"Actually, I have to do some research at the library for a term paper." The sentence was true in bits: I did have a term paper, and I did have research at the library to attend to, but the two did not correlate.

"Well okay, I'll buy you a copy while I'm there."

"That's why I love you, Levy-chan."

"Oi, Bunny-girl," Gajeel called from the walkway over our heads, a repaired spotlight slung over his shoulder. His long black hair was pushed back from his pierced scowl. "Ya tryin' to steal my shrimp now?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," I called back, shoving Levy lightly. "Go on, before he decides to let me have a _stage accident._ "

"Yeah, c'mon, I need some help with the lights."

"I'm coming," she said, going towards the stairs. Even if Gajeel needed help, the lights were heavy—he wouldn't call Levy. But we all knew that, despite being a generally nice if gruff person, he had his possessive moments. After all, they had a wedding on the horizon. Then again, there were others who could be far more possessive on the set…

"Hey, Lucy, Master wants to see you!" Erza yelled from the other end of the walkway. I waved in acknowledgement and ducked behind the heavy red curtains to the door of his office. Inside were bookshelves all against the wall, stuffed with script folders, photo albums, and books that could provide possible shows. Makarov, the elderly man who ran the theater, smiled warmly at me as I shut the door.

"How are you doing, my child?" It was the way that he addressed us all, as if we were his own children, and I couldn't blame him: unlike his own flesh-and-blood son, Ivan, we were fond of spending time with him.

"Fine, thanks for asking. I have sixty hours of credits left." I'd been taking classes at Magnolia University for the past year, majoring in History (as to fill in the huge blanks) and minoring in Engineering (to fill in the other blanks). In the process, I discovered that Magnolia had been built atop the very first place where E.N.D. and I had fought: the butterfly graveyard. It was never understood why butterflies died in the area, but nevertheless, their beautiful wings made still in death was an ominous presence, the perfect for a fight to the death. I wondered if that had any significance.

"That's good. What do you plan on doing with your degrees?" I hesitated. That part, I didn't give much thought to.

"Teaching, most likely." He nodded thoughtfully, then sat forward in his chair.

"The reason I've called you is that I have a new script, and I believe you'd be perfect for the female lead."

"What?" I cried. Though I'd been working there for a year, designing props and editing scripts, sometimes writing portions of them with Levy, I'd never acted a main role, let alone _lead_ role. "Mr. Dreyar, are you…"

"Certain? Yes, yes I am. This role was made for you, Ms. Heartfilia." With that, he gave me a particularly cunning smile, like there was a hilarious joke that I was missing. "We're going to have auditions in a couple of days, and rehearsals will start on Monday."

"You won't be using the others in this show?" He shook his head.

"We want to use fresh faces for once, you know. Yours especially is still new around here, but if all goes well, you'll be one of our _stars_." I flushed a little. "How about you look over it tonight and give me a response in the morning?"

"I'll… Alright, that sounds good." I took the packet from his hands and his secret smile elongated.

"Have a good day, Lucida," he said, offering his hand to shake. It wasn't until I had already left and was on my way home that I realized he called me by my true name, and I was certain I hadn't told him.

"What did Makarov tell you?" Gray asked, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. Reedus was working on his makeup for the show that was to begin in a couple of hours. He was supposed to be a prince, and his double-breasted coat and slicked back hair really did make him appear as royalty.

"He offered me a role in the next performance… Where's your princess?"

"Funny you should ask that," he said with a grimace, and shifted forward a bit. Suddenly, Juvia's form was behind his, eyes boring into mine with a fire that didn't fit her lovely loose curls and billowing gown.

"Love rival," she ground out without actually separating her teeth. I stepped from her line of sight and it felt as if gravity had gotten a few tons lighter.

"That's about it," Reedus finished quickly, perhaps to save me from death by Glare. Gray was quick to shuffle off, waving me over to a Juvia-free corner.

"You said he offered you a role? That's great."

"It's…a lead role," I added hesitantly. He smiled and clapped my shoulder.

"That's even better. Can I see the script?"

"Yeah, sure." I handed it over and he scanned it, flipping through the pages with a thoughtful hum.

"Did you see it yet?"

"No, why?" He chuckled.

"It's kinda funny… The main girl seems just like you. Even this picture—" He showed me the cover page, which featured a painting (most likely Reedus' work) of a maiden warrior in armor of the same fair-haired shade, and she was clashing swords with a creature made of shadows into the silhouette of man.

 _This role was made for you, Ms. Heartfilia._

"I don't think so. She's much more beautiful."

"I beg to differ," he replied easily. I was briefly reminded of Loki, the most amorous star, but Gray's toying was more out of camaraderie. Aside from that, Juvia couldn't stand to see him even be within two feet of another woman, let alone flirt.

"Well anyway, I think I'll decline. It would be a lot of work to rehearse for a main role, and I have a lot of studying to do." Besides that, the whole situation seemed shady.

"Lucy, this would be your stage debut. Do you really want to pass it up?" he said seriously.

"Well, no, I don't want to, but…" _But I have to._ I'd been planning to tell my friends my story sometime, when I believed they could handle it, but lately it was out of my own cowardice that I chickened out every chance that came up. "I just don't have the time."

"Keep thinking about it, alright?" He returned my script as Erza called for all the actors to meet backstage. "See you." He gave me a smirk before pushing through the curtains, disappearing behind their folds. I gave the script another look before putting it with my things, then I went to help the others set up for rehearsal.

I gave Mira, our resident piano genius, the sheet music, and she thanked me with her usual overflowing kindness. To Gajeel (and Levy) were instructions to watch out for Makarov's signals on the lights and curtains. Lisanna and Elfman were in charge of moving props on and off stage, and Cana was in charge of costumes. Vijeeter was choreographer and Nab…well, honestly, I never found out what Nab did. He showed up to work on time, left on time, but all he did was stand in the corner by the broken 'EXIT' sign. Nobody else could tell me what he did, and I never wanted to ask him in case it came off rude or personal.

As Makarov waved at Gajeel and he lifted the curtains, Gray stepped front stage. His arms were out and his head was tilted back as if he was going to shower in a rainstorm, and in a low voice he began his monologue. I only caught snippets of it as I went to and fro between departments, but what I heard was amazing, as expected. For someone so icy and uncomfortable with others, he was an entirely different person in costume. On the other hand, Erza, who was playing a prince from an opposing kingdom, had just the same amount of vigor and grandiose on the stage and off the stage. I started to wonder, _Could I be like them, putting on a grand show?_ I looked out at the plethora of plush seats and imagined crowds there to see me on stage. It felt like a dream, like how my old life was starting to feel after so long of being…normal.

I descended to the ground and shuffled across the row of seats to where Makarov and the supervisor, his son Laxus, sat to watch. "Mr. Dreyar, do you mind if I get an early start on my work?"

"You only have thirty minutes left on the clock anyway. I don't mind," he replied. "I'll be waiting for your response in the morning."

"Alright, have a good night." Laxus gave me a curt nod as I left, pushing through the double doors into the city. The setting sun peeked through the surrounding office buildings with the light refracting through their glass walls and all over. The Fairy Tail Theater looked more and more like a castle every time I saw it, an old place build of thick stone slabs and decorated with realistic fairy sculptures, part of its name. Behind it was the huge fountain of Magnolia Park and all of its greenery, providing an aptly dreamlike scene of a dreamlike place.

I usually drove to work, but my car had been in the shop for the last few days from a battery that spontaneously broke (one of the modern world's mysteries, I assumed), so I caught the city bus instead. I lived pretty far from Fairy Tail, so I decided to check the script out to pass the time. It was titled, _The Stars Against the Night._

"Interesting," I murmured, glancing at the picture again and finding it even more unsettling than before. I flipped the page, then flipped back quickly to take another look, rubbing my eyes when all seemed well. For a moment, I'd thought I saw Natsu's face on the dark form, but it was only my imagination.

The setting was a fable, a story where a little girl with hair of gold "danced with the fairies by day," and where a black-haired man with pale skin "fought with the darkness at night." While the two characters were physically and emotionally nothing like me and E.N.D., I could feel a weird sense of déjà vu in the papers.

The story is of their forbidden love, two beings of opposite standing and magic who met at sunset, the combination of their worlds, to talk of sweet nothings. Then, as decades passed, the boy wanted _more._ The story was unclear of what "more" meant, but whatever the case, she disagreed. For the first time in centuries, they had an argument, one that disturbed the balance of all things. They argued for days and nights alike, causing blackouts and storms and eclipses in their anger, but no matter how hard they tried to separate, their tie of love always connected them. It was paradoxical: their love was what compelled them to argue, and their arguments shaded their love. Then, after one hundred years of turmoil, they met up once more. At that point, while I had been skimming before, I felt mystically compelled to read the dialogue:

GIRL: WE HAVE BEEN FIGHTING A LONG TIME, MY LOVE. ARE YOU NOT YET SATISFIED?

BOY: I SHALL NOT BE UNTIL YOU SUBMIT TO ME.

GIRL: AS LONG AS WE FIGHT, THE WORLD SUFFERS. DO YOU REALLY WISH TO PROLONG THIS OVER A PETTY ARGUMENT?

BOY: IT IS FAR FROM PETTY… PERHAPS IF YOU DIDN'T STILL THINK AS A CHILD, YOU WOULD SEE.

GIRL: [infuriated] THEN SO BE IT! IF, TO SAVE THIS WORLD, I MUST GIVE UP THE ONE AND ONLY LOVE I'VE EVER KNOWN, I SHALL.

BOY: [in a detached but trembling voice] …DON'T YOU DARE. DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME ALONE _AGAIN…_

GIRL: YOU'VE BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF.

(BOY stares at her, speechless, then bursts out laughing. GIRL is confused as he turns his eyes skyward, then back to her with arms extended.)

BOY: "SO BE IT." LET YOUR BLOOD BE VENOM WITHIN THIS EARTH. LET ALL YOUR ANCESTORS THAT TREAD ACROSS IT BE CURSED THAT THEY WILL BE LIKE YOUR PRECIOUS FAIRIES, ALL DOOMED TO DRINK THEIR POISON. ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, "MY LOVE."

GIRL: YOU— [with tears in her eyes] FINE, THEN, IF THAT IS HOW YOU WISH TO BE, YOU—YOU MONSTER. YOU BEAUTIFUL MONSTER. LIKE YOU, YOUR SONS WILL BE AS A DREAM IN APPEARANCE, BUT AS A NIGHTMARE BENEATH THE SURFACE.

It was only a fable, it was, but I felt as enraptured as if I was a firsthand witness. I was so into it, I almost didn't notice the bus pulling up at my stop, and hurried to collect my things and step off. My apartment was only a block away from the stop. The landlady greeted me with the same grunt/curt nod that she had been, and for once I didn't fight a conversation from her. I went to my apartment and dropped my things in a hurry, flipping through the rest of the script.

After the impactful opening, the script goes on to a new setting, which is only described as "a place where the carcasses of dreams abound." Now the protagonists are the ones in the cover, the blonde maiden and the black one. The second arc can be described as battle after battle after battle. They clashed on land, they clashed overseas, they clashed within the heavens. Makarov said that the role was made for me, but he couldn't have any possible idea how true those words rang. For centuries, eons, maybe even a forgotten millennium, that was all E.N.D. and I had done: fight. I half expected to see "and then they fell into pig crap" on the next page, everything was so…accurate.

 _Did E.N.D. sell our information?_ I wondered at one point considering how verbatim the script was, then I saw that there was a lot of information he would have had no way of knowing, things only witness by myself or the stars. Then again, all of this couldn't have been only coincidence. It was impossible. It was like…

…Magic?

I set the script down and stood up slowly. For the umpteenth time since descending into modern Magnolia, I tried to summon my armor. It was a solid object, but in the past the stars would always give it to me upon request, yet as I pleaded with them now, nothing happened. And for the umpteenth time squared, I asked for my friends. Taurus, try to look at my undergarments. Virgo, ask me for punishments. Loki, flirt with me. I'd never taken those weird occurrences for granted before, but now I felt like I hadn't appreciated them as much as I could have.

"If you all are still here," I said quietly, "I miss you."

Just as I expected, silence. But something else was for certain. I picked up the phone and dialed Makarov's number, hoping that they hadn't yet closed up.

"Lucy, hello again," he said as he answered. "You have an answer already?"

"I think I've had an answer since you showed it to me."

"Is that so?" he questioned with that smug note from earlier.

"I'll accept the role."

"Great. You'll hear more about the performance after all the other roles are casted, alright?"

"Okay, thank you. Have a good night." I hung up with an odd sense of foreboding in my belly.

* * *

I woke up on the day of auditions and almost forgot that it was that, since it was usually my day off. I wasn't late, but I showered and ate and dressed quickly out of habit, finding a flowy orange top and a denim skirt that I could put on quickly, also forgoing my usual heels for flat sandals. I took up my things and locked the door before heading out, greeting the landlady on my way to the Metrorail. It was faster and less crowded than the bus, albeit slightly more expensive.

By the time I arrived at the theater, auditions were already in progress. I could tell because as I pushed into the lobby, the seats were crowded with actors. I got a few whistles and catcalls as I walked through but I didn't pay them any attention. (I actually found it a curious thing, how men always seemed to trip over themselves when they saw me. I had a longstanding list of numbers to call all the time.) I burst into the theater as a possible was having a discussion with Gray, his back turned to me. I spotted Makarov, Laxus, and Erza seated up front, ready to take notes, and joined them.

"You're a little late," Erza commented.

"Yeah, I uh, forgot that auditions were today," I admitted guiltily. "Sorry."

"It's no problem! This is actually our first performer," Makarov said glibly, gesturing to the man over on the side. Not long after, he stepped away from Gray with a laugh and sauntered confidently across the stage. He came to a stop right in front of us, a brilliant grin on his face, and I felt my whole world come to a stop.

"Good morning, Mr. Dreyar and son, Ms. Scarlet, and…" He met my eyes while I still stuttered for breath, and slowly, E.N.D.'s grin morphed into a smug smirk. "My lovely guest judge." He looked the same, same pink hair and same green eyes, but with a chambray shirt framing his shape and artfully worn jeans over untied Converse sneakers.

"Lucy," I supplied, finally catching my breath after what felt like millennia, but what must have actually been a few seconds. "Lucy Heartfilia, is my name."

"It's my pleasure," he said smoothly, getting down on one knee to give me a more personal smile. Then the bastard had the audacity to wink before rising. "I guess I don't need to say I'm auditioning to be the Demon." That being the male protagonist of the performance. I found that the naming, in comparison with all the other radiant details of it, was very insipid.

"Yup," Laxus said dully, leaning back with a hand supporting his arms. "Start anytime you're ready, pinky."

"I have a name," he said, touching his chest with a bit of a hurt inflection creeping into his tone. I had no way of knowing whether or not it was genuine. Laxus rolled his hand in a "go on" gesture and he snickered. "It's Natsu Dragneel." Natsu Dragneel… E.N.D. Etherious Natsu Dragneel. I had almost forgotten. He _was_ once human, as was I, but…then what happened? I rubbed my head, trying to recall memories long lost to history. "And, well, uh, I'll get started." He jogged backwards until there was a decent distance between himself and us, which I was grateful for. It made me catch breath easier.

"You won't be reading from the script?" Erza inquired, pointing her pen at his empty hands.

"No, I think I've got it memorized." Like Makarov, _Natsu_ spoke as if by a private joke, but unlike before, I'd a good idea what _that_ joke was. He wiped his palms on his thighs, cleared his throat, and began to speak:

"Littlest star—" I froze, the deep bass of his tone ringing through my ears like the bells of Cardia Cathedral. I could remember the exact moment he first called me that, back in the wetlands of X742, and he caught my surprise as well, because he locked eyes with me as he pressed on: "—your light is the beacon of the night where my darkness would otherwise reign as the supremacy. But, you see, I am not made irate by the fact: in fact, I find pleasure in your endless radiance. It is, after all, what makes this immortal life all the more worth it to live. People…no, calling us anything of that sort would be a cruel, gross lie…beings such as us could not find entertainment otherwise. Like that, let us clash again and again, over and over for the rest of eternity, until I finally catch your light between my claws and tear away your wings and crush you into stardust." As he spoke, he cupped his hands before slapping them together on the last line, lips skewed.

 _Oh my…_

"That was incredible," Erza praised, beaming at him. Natsu grinned and bowed with exaggeration, but I could see his flushed cheeks and the light sheen of sweat over his forehead. He was impassioned—moreover, he was as into the moment as I was. My breath was coming quick and I feared I would pass out for a moment, but I managed to swallow my anticipation and regain my bearings.

"Like Erza said," I agreed a bit hoarsely.

"Thank you very much, Lucy," he said, putting particular emphasis on my name.

"Humph," Laxus grunted by means of his usual speech, but he had a trace of a smile as he did it. He may have been gruffer than Gajeel, but even he could get impressed.

"I think it's safe to say we were all pleased by your performance, Mr. Dragneel," Makarov smiled. "You may leave now, and we'll call you to let you know if you've made it, but to be frank, it seems like you're a shoe-in."

"Great!" he exclaimed, beaming with that brilliance that reminded me of when he saw cows. Just like me, he had had a year to acquaint himself with contemporary civilization, and from his expressions to his mannerisms, I could tell he assimilated well, perhaps even better than I had. "Have a good day you guys…especially you, Ms. Heartfilia," he added in a lower tone of voice, giving me a purposeful look as he walked off the stage and through the side exit.

"I think you have a new bachelor," Erza remarked, giving me a much-too-hard elbow nudge. I may or may not have nodded in return as I stood.

"I'll be back in a second," I muttered, moving quickly as to not lose him. As I went through the exit and into the parking lot, I spotted Natsu marching towards the street. It wasn't easy matching his long strides, but my old rapidity soon kicked in, and after a moment we were neck and neck.

"Oh? I didn't know you wanted to talk," he said offhandedly, glancing at me from the corner of his eyes.

"Don't play games with me, E.N.D.!"

"That's how you want to play it now, Lucida?" His voice rumbled on the precipice of a growl, but he reigned himself in, pinching the bridge of his nose. He came to a stop on the sidewalk and so did I. "You got my attention, so now what?"

"What? What in the world are you talking about? _You're_ the one that marched in on the life I've managed to build!" I retorted. He face-palmed, then let his hand rest at his cheek as he gave a weary sigh.

"I think _you're_ the one that's turned all inside-out and junk. This whole performance—a goddess and a demon? A woman of the stars and a man of the shadows? What else could it have been but my calling card? So I'm asking, What're you trying to get at, calling me up?"

"I wasn't trying to _call you up,_ but since you're here, you might as well fill in blanks for me." He made a frustrated noise and crossed his arms.

"And for what? Why do I owe you answers?"

" _Owe me?_ Don't you want to know what's happened to us, why we're here with no magic—"

"See? Stop right there." He put his hands on his hips. "No magic. Without magic, that Dark Magic that used to pour outta me like sweat from a fat guy hittin' it at the gym, I'm _normal._ I can go and pet dogs and feed wild cats and swim in pools and— You get the picture. I'm not rushing to go back to being E.N.D. anytime soon."

"But—the universe's balance relies on us—"

"The universe was fine before we existed," he interrupted.

"No, it wasn't! You read the script, didn't you?" He nodded, eyebrows quirked. "You saw the story of the boy and girl—"

"The _fable_ , you mean?"

"It's not just a— Ugh! Didn't you get the same feeling I did, Natsu? I felt like it was more than just words printed on paper—it felt like _part of me._ Part of the big picture. Part of why I can't speak to my stars anymore and I'm just grounded here!" I was flailing my arms in my excitement but I couldn't be bothered about it. Natsu gave me a curious look.

"Sad story, littlest star, but things are outta my hands and into the universe's. If she wants to toss you back your shiny trinkets, then hey, more power to her, but _I'm_ not going to fight you again. No way in hell." He turned away and started walking again, but I persisted.

"Then why did you come, huh?"

"I…" His steps faltered but he quickly recovered. "I heard this theater pays out the ass and I needed some quick cash. Unlike you with the star job, I do a lot of physical stuff—construction, deliveries, blah blah blah. Boring, tedious work, and doesn't pay much more than your average Burger King. I figured nothing could be easier money than going on stage and acting like myself. It'd be the first time in a year that I bothered to, anyway."

I hadn't actually considered that while I was extremely lucky to run into Gray and Erza as I did, Natsu hid away and didn't have the same opportunity. I felt a little ashamed to admit that I hadn't given much thought at all to how he had been making a living for the last year. As I knew him, he was a demon that killed everything he touched, but now he was just as human as me, and considering that I'd never seen his face posted up on CNN, he wasn't out there committing murder.

"Natsu," I said as he tried walking off. He stopped but didn't turn. I cleared my throat, wondering what in the world I was doing as I spoke, "As your possible costar…and as a fellow human…I'd like to take you to lunch."

"You're kidding," he said, but he ran back over and grabbed my shoulders with excitement in his eyes as he did so. "Where's the food?"

Well, it seemed that a year hadn't changed him _too_ much.

* * *

We caught a bus to a place called 8Island. The owner, Yajima, used to work with Makarov back when they were in politics, but now he was content to make and serve good food. Similarly, Natsu was content to empty my wallet eating all of that good food.

"Shrimp, fish, octopus, chicken, turkey, steak, pork, macaroni, tomatoes, mushrooms—" he said as he ate them, with an obnoxiously stuffed mouth to boot. I thought I had more food on my face than he had in his stomach as he worked his way through bowl after plate after dish, yet he never seemed full. Obviously, there still existed magic in this world.

"Natsu, people are, err, staring."

"Wha?" He looked around at the crowd he was amassing and quite literally shrugged them off. "Ish no beg del."

"It is, in fact, a big deal…"

"Sho wha? Zey neba sheen a min eat vafor?"

"I'm sure they've never see a man eat like _this_ …"

"Zey can go vuk zemselvz!" I was more than happy not to respond to that one. After what felt like hours of eating on his part—and what actually might have been hours—he pushed away the last emptied china with a pleased hum. "Damn, haven't eaten like that in a few centuries," he grinned, locking his fingers behind his neck and leaning back in his seat. "But can I ask why you chose to feed me? We're eternal enemies or whatever, aren't we?"

"I haven't forgotten. But…there's no satisfaction in kicking a downed opponent." He gave me a look I couldn't decipher, then stood with a huff.

"Well, Lucida…or rather, Lucy now, I believe I should thank you for the meal." He bowed at first, then straightened abruptly, and with a half-smile quirking his lips, Natsu extended a hand. I stood as well, wiping my palms anxiously on my shorts, but he waited patiently until I drew up the nerve to reach out, and I clasped my hand within his. His was larger, rougher, and his grip was firm as he shook my arm once. I looked up in time to catch his mischievous smile, the one that always led to a killer blow, right before he tugged hard, jerking me forward and against his chest. His other arm went around my back with that one going up to the back of my head. "Thank you for the meal," he said into my ear.

"What the— Get away from me!" I shoved him away so hard that his back hit against the window with a heavy thud. I was flushed from alarm and my hands shook as I held them out. He stared for a moment, disoriented, then caught himself.

"Too much, I guess," he chuckled, cracking his back. I didn't wait to hear what else he had to say. I dropped some money on the table without even glancing at the bill as it was brought over, and I collected my things and quickly moved past him. I wasn't sure, but it felt like he tried to grab me again on my way out.

Because I didn't expect Natsu's show of gluttony, I'd missed the bus I intended to take and had to catch a later one, which ended with me getting back to Fairy Tail after nearly all the auditions were over. The others looked at me inquisitively, but none asked me about my leave, which I was thankful for. Erza shared with me notes taken from the other actors and I scanned them absently. The one role that popped out to me was my other, the Demon.

"There was a handful of other actors that auditioned, but it's apparent that Natsu put the most emotion into it," she said. "It's almost like he was the Demon at some point."

"Possibly," Makarov jested, "after all, Erza, the best stories are true." She chuckled, but when he met my eyes, there was nothing but truth in his. They agreed to send emails out the following morning to roles with only one auditioned—those were the certain ones. The other ones would be sent by the end of the day, considering rehearsals started right after the weekend. And that was the end of that, except that it wasn't the end of anything for me.

By that night, I had poring over countless websites and texts for a long time. My eyes were sore and words were beginning to blur into one another, but I had to know. To be honest, I didn't even know what I was looking for—it was one of those "you'll know when you see it" deals. I was beginning to think that I'd wasted four hours of sleep when I saw it, and I _knew._

The girl and boy of the fable were named Mavis Vermillion and Zeref Dragneel. _Dragneel,_ just like Natsu. By that time, I was beyond blaming it on my imagination and coincidence. Those two fought, and now we fought—or rather, we had been before Natsu deemed himself a pacifist. It meant _something,_ I just didn't know what.

"Why did you two fight at all?" I whispered, so bleary that I expected a Wikipedia page to answer me back. I wanted it to tell me why those two fought, why we fought, why we were human now, why E.N.D. was simple Natsu Dragneel, and why my heart raced so when he surprised me. But the computer wasn't magic, and no longer was I. Neither of us could provide the answers of the universe.

 **X793**

The show was to begin and I wanted to jump through the window with a chest-clenching longing.

Natsu, of course, got his part as the Demon, which meant that of all the other actors, we spent the most time talking, touching, and plain being together. While he was my adversary, I found it harder and harder to keep him at arm's length, until his laughs became my laughs, and my smiles were his smiles. We were friends—at least, within his mind, the story was that. There was an incident while on stage that led to one of the spotlights breaking from its bearings. Natsu shoved me out of the way and both of us hit the ground as it smashed through the floorboards. My body was splayed beneath his, and when he opened his eyes to look at me, I was reminded of when we first surfaced in this new time.

I was in love with E.N.D. I was in love with _Natsu._

I tried to distance myself, to let that demon seed wither and die, but it was hard to distance yourself from another when both of you were due to be leads in a performance. And the more time I spent with him, the less I was convinced that what I felt could be a lie. I had always heard the humans say "there's a fine line between love and hate," and at that moment I understood them perfectly: I was to believe that I hated him, the embodiment of all darkness and death, and yet my heart yearned for his touch. It made me understand Mavis and Zeref all too well. Still, I never let my walls down entirely, even as he joked and jested and gave me light butterfly touches all the time. It was how he was, he couldn't help it.

He enraptured the rest of the actors that way as well, and pulled Fairy Tail on his side, even though he and Gray argued more than they got along.

Although Natsu refused to fight me on my terms, he had no choice otherwise during rehearsal. However, it was rehearsal: the entire thing was orchestrated. We were shown choreographed moves and were expected to do them with each other. It was a bit like dancing in that way, a dance the both of us were overly familiar with. The matter was awkward at first—we were used to going at each other for life or death, not for entertainment—but soon we had fallen into the rhythm, and if things went a little too far at times, it was laughed off.

Then again, as we wore props that very much resembled my armor and him in a black suit or a drape of dragon's scales, we both faltered more often than not, because it all began to feel so _real._ I didn't know if he thought this too, but it dawned on me just how _long_ we had been fighting. Eons, I'd said before, but that was as far as I remembered. Memories do fail—for all we know, we had been fighting since Mavis and Zeref. Acting and rehearsing gave me the epiphany that I'd been missing for a long while. I realized why Natsu was so averse to fighting me again, and to my surprise, I was beginning to share his sentiments.

Makarov spoke with all of us actors the day before the show. The usual: he told us to get some rest for the night and show up bright and early and ready to amaze, because we were all amazing actors and all of Magnolia would see us bring to life a story onstage. He had this certain gumption about him that whatever he said would lit a fire within you, and so he never failed to be an inspiration.

"Tomorrow will be great," he said with all certainty. "It will be a show to end all shows, thanks to you dedicated and talented people. In fact, I've a feeling that it will be… _magical_."

Natsu and I exchanged a look. "Who does this guy think he is, Merlin?" he snorted. "There's no magic around here—I've checked and checked and checked."

"Relax, it's just something that he does."

"It's insensitive," he grumbled. "Like, you don't point out that a fat guy's fat."

"Natsu, that's neither here nor there."

"No, in fact, it's standing there in front of me and playing with my dreams."

"I know you're an actor, but don't be so dramatic."

"It's what I'm good at," he replied, smirking at me. I pretended to fiddle with the tail of my blouse as to hide my blush. Makarov caught me and sent me a grin.

"See you all bright and early, ready for the show."

I was mid-window-jumping when Levy caught me.

"Lucy! What are you doing?" she asked, appalled.

"I can't… I can't do this Levy, I can't. I'm leaving."

"Well, first of all, you're not gonna fit through that window." I was very aware of that fact, yes. "And second, don't chicken out now!"

"It's not just that, but…"

"But nothing! C'mon, Lu-chan, this is your big break!" It took a lot of cajoling, but eventually I climbed down from the window, and Levy smoothed out the wrinkles of my costume. I wore armor designed by an unknown source (Makarov was unusually tight-lipped about that) that, besides the chipping gold spray-paint, was a facsimile of my old set. Levy fixed my braid with her gentle hands before clapping them on my cheeks. "You'll be perfect! Okay?"

"O…kay…" I didn't want to admit the sense of dread in my stomach lest I sound crazy, but it was there as Levy tugged me towards the other actors. They were chatting animatedly, everyone except Natsu, who stood off to the side with arms crossed and his back to me. I started towards him, his name on my lips, when Makarov's voice rang out from in front of the lowered curtains:

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our performance of _The Stars Against the Night._ " A short round of applause that he waited out before continuing. "This is also one of the rare occasions that we step outside of our family, so appreciate those who've stepped out of their shells to audition and have stood above the rest. The show—or rather, the story you will witness is of a girl who loved fairies and a boy who writhed with darkness, whose influence spanned across the centuries. Though it's not explicitly stated, I've read the script, and I believe that the lesson to be drawn is that history makes its mark. It moves in an endless loop and can trap anyone in it. Knowing what's behind you, then, can help you not make the mistakes of your ancestors, and to move forward in life." He laughed. "Well, this is just an old man's longwinded way of saying enjoy the show!"

The applause was still going as Laxus and Erza ushered the two playing Mavis and Zeref into place. A desert landscape was used as a background, exquisitely painted by Reedus, and sand placed on stage courtesy of Max, though we had no idea where he got it from. I tried approaching Natsu, but the actor playing Loki asked to review his lines with me and I was pulled away. Before I knew it, the first act was already over, and Natsu and I had to move. Now we were going to interact whether we wanted or not.

I stepped onto the stage with my palms itching consistently as Gray fiddled with Natsu's costume. They bickered in the process, but it was more good-natured than anything, then Gajeel warned them that the curtain was about to rise. I looked up and caught Levy's encouraging smile, then Gray's thumbs-up and Erza's confident nod. They believed in me…I tried to believe in me too.

The curtains rose and Natsu came walking in from the opposite end of the stage, an artful trail of black dust trailing him just as back then. His eyes were slightly squinted, expression detached, and I fought the urge to swallow at his intensity. He came to a stop a handful of paces away, eyes roving my figure just as mine did his. I kept my bearings as Gray switched on a fan, providing a light gust for effect that stirred about the loose strands of hair over my face and chilled my skin.

"Are you going to stand there and collect dust for the rest of eternity?" I goaded, letting the flat of my golden blade run across my metal-gloved palm. "If so, that makes my mission that much simpler."

"You are quite a sight to look at, is what distracts me," he countered smoothly as the lights were reduced, bringing more attention to his rosy hair and jade eyes. "The heavens' newest star that has personally come to end my existence… Why, I could not be more honored the universe would bother."

"It only means you are a nuisance, and one that needs plucking." I flipped the sword with practiced precision, and it handed hilt-first with the tip pointed at E.N.D.—err, Natsu. Then I clutched it tight with both hands and charged.

"Good luck attempting so, fair maiden." He sidestepped my attack and seized me by the face in the process, shoving me back and hard. I hit the ground with my body tucked inwards and rolled into a crouch. I used the lingering impetus to spring forward with a sideswipe attack. He gripped the sword and wrenched it from my hands with a hiss as the squib was detonated beneath his clawed glove, and corn syrup dyed black seeped onto the floor. "Mm… You've wounded me," he said with a smirk, letting the blade hit the floor.

"I'll do more than that." I replied, taking a gold-glittered whip from my belt and unravelling it. We exchanged blows over and over, acting out a few close-calls that had the audience catching their breath and exhaling all at the same time. Sweat beaded on my brow—I'd never thought it would be so arduous to pretend to fight, but we fought onstage just as we fought in reality: hard and ceaselessly. With only five minute breaks at a time to change backdrops and costumes, we spent the majority of the performance exchanging staged blows.

 _Is this really what it was like?_ I thought as his dragon's claws clashed with my saber, locking us in a stalemate. _Clashing with E.N.D. for a handful of centuries… I never realized how_ tiring _it was. It's only been forty minutes and I'm exhausted—what did that eon feel like?_

"You won't be relenting anytime soon, will you?" Natsu sighed. He was just as clammy and out of breath as I was, which put real exhaustion into his tone.

"Never," I snapped, dredging up the last of my energy to put it into the fury required. "You are a creature of rot and destruction, of darkness and death. You should not be allowed to wander this earth and pain its inhabitants."

I couldn't say what happened then, since I had said that line many times during rehearsal and all went well, but Natsu's eyebrows jumped as his eyes bugged with alarm. I didn't mean it, but I could tell in that moment that he took it as seriously as when we were fighting for blood.

"Is…that so?" he hummed, a dangerous smile crossing his face. "Says the feeble star who wouldn't shine if not for the others' pity."

"Feeble star?" I echoed incredulously. My hands tightened around the hilt as I pressed harder, stepping closer until he and I were nose to nose. "What do you know of the stars, you wretch? Your darkness blots them out of the sky."

"It's not as if the people need to see them anyhow. They do nothing but revel in their plains—why, then, do _they_ let me roam freely while you're the only one who troubles yourself?"

"Because they have larger matters to—"

"Don't belittle me, littlest star!" he interrupted with a shout, eyes blazing like emerald flames. The weapon was swept from my hands and sent skidding across the polished wood of the stage. The next second, his human fist was twisted in the collar of my undershirt tight enough to choke my breath. "The _benevolent, merciful_ stars have never once troubled themselves with me! While you cried out in mourning, _I've lost my parents woe is me,_ the stars answered your pleas and made you _great._ " He thrusted me backwards so harshly that I almost lost my footing. When he met my eyes again, there were tears in the corner of his. "What about the boy who was stolen from his brother by the darkness, eh? What about him?"

"Natsu! Lucy!" Gray hissed from offstage. It wasn't peculiar for Fairy Tail to improvise—more often than not, the script would become an outline with the most memorable acting occurring onstage—but the two of us were getting out of hand. I gasped at the sight of his tears, feeling like I was being drawn from a fugue.

"Natsu, I—"

"They did _nothing!_ " he roared, clenching his fists to hide their trembling. "They did nothing but watch from the heavens as I suffered. And you, and _you,_ little Lucida Sidera, you never tried to help, did you? It's far easier to sever a diseased plant than nurse it back to health, isn't it?"

"It's impossible to revive a _dead_ plant," I amended. His eyes narrowed as he let out a vicious chuckle.

"That's how it is, then? This supposed friendship we had, and all the while you've been thinking what a lost cause I am… I suppose I've always known it." He raised his clawed hand, and for a second I thought I saw some of the blackness flake off of it. "Well, we won't have that issue any longer, will we?" And he ran forward and swung. I was slow to react, so even though I managed to roll out of the way, I felt my breastplate give. As I looked at it, I saw three deep scores like claw marks left by a bear.

 _That's impossible… Those claws are fake…_

I didn't have time to ponder it as he spun and came at me again, claws out. I wasn't imagining it: there was a dark dust radiating from part of his body and trailing behind him like ash. From all my research, I had been sure that no ethernano still existed within the atmosphere, but my eyes now proved me wrong. Then again, that was the beautiful thing about magic: it often shattered expectations.

I took up my sword and slashed to parry his attack, and upon contact with the saber sparks flew. I took another look at the prop and saw that it had become untarnished silver, surrounded by an aura of my old Celestial Magic. I had almost forgotten how good it could feel: my body was lighter, the air tasted cleaner, and I was once again Lucida Sidera. Then again, as I beheld the darkness clouding most of his extremities and part of his face, bringing his soft hair into an unkempt mess, I realized that yet again, E.N.D. and I would clash.

Another swipe of his claws shattered the silver of the blade, and as he came around again, I stabbed the remaining bit into his shoulder. He hissed and recoiled, viscous black blood and Dark Magic leaking from the injury. I clenched my hand and pulled the other back, and a bow formed of Celestial Magic appeared in my grip. I nocked a golden arrow and shot it into his lower belly. He growled as he pulled it free, now stained black as the night, and rushed forward before slamming it down on my chest. The armor glittered before repelling him with a blast of light.

"Still as radiant as ever," E.N.D. said acerbically, shaking off his scorched hand. I glanced at the crowd from the corner of my eye: they were stunned, but leaning forward in their seats. I didn't want them to stay and risk getting hurt, but there was no safe way to say "I'm an envoy of the stars and he's a demon of death" without causing panic—if we were even believed. We _were_ still actors, after all, and they thought it was a show.

"What happened to not wanting to fight, huh?" I yelled, nocking three arrows at once and letting them all fly. He deflected them with a swipe of his claws and lashed out with his foot. I caught his ankle with my bow and swung him away quickly, but the string had already snapped. He landed on a knee and spun around, his human hand caking over with Dark Magic until it too was clawed and coming at me. I drew up enough magic to form two longswords and crossed them to block the attack, but I hadn't the energy left to force him away.

"I changed my mind," he grinned, but it held none of his usual warmth. "This is what you want, right? To have both of us skewered and on our way through the ethernano again?"

"I… Maybe, it _was,_ but…" I shook my head quickly and took a sluggish step forward, then another, and I kept going until I had him retreating backwards to keep his bearings. "That's neither here nor there! Do you want to hurt those around you? I'm sure that's not what you want!" His eyes flickered, but only for a moment.

"It's not," he admitted dully. "But hurting _you,_ that's a big goal of mine right now." He threw his arms in the air, causing me to stagger forward from my force, and slapped a hand down on my back. He quickly withdrew from the scorches, but he did it: my breastplate fell to the ground in pieces blacked at the edges, leaving me in nothing but a loose undershirt. I may have been without my armor, but he had bleeding burns up and down his arms. I took advantage of that as I clasped my magic-encased hands around them, causing him to writhe and scream in agony before he finally sent me on my back. I rolled to my feet as he whimpered softly, great globs of darkness hitting the ground as he stood, shuddering and shaking. "Hurts…haven't felt pain like that in…hurts…" he muttered, fingers twitching as he tried to clasp his hands into fists.

"I hope the pain may humble you." I lunged forward and tackled him to the ground, pinning his throat with the flat of my blade. The delicate skin there sizzled in contact with my celestial bronze, but this time he maintained a boiling glare.

"Do it," he rasped, reaching up with trembling hands towards my neck. "Let's do this all over again."

"E.N.D.—" It occurred to me, then, what I was doing. While reading the story of Mavis and Zeref, I realized how fine the line between love and hate could be, and crouching there with my longtime foe's life in my hands, I felt those words to be truer than ever.

"Please," I pleaded softly, letting the swords hit the ground and vanish into ethernano. "Natsu, don't make me kill you."

"Don't _make you_? Have I ever made you do _anything_ in our long past?" he rumbled. "It was _you_ who always sought me out and _you_ who always gave the first blow."

"But things are different now! We were together, we sat together and joked and laughed and—don't tell me that didn't mean as much to you as I did to me," I whispered. He looked at me dubiously.

"I don't think it meant anything to you," he retorted, but he averted his eyes as he spoke. He was frightened beneath that anger—I should know.

"There is a fine line between love and hate. Mavis and Zeref loved each other, but fought all the same. Their rancor still taints the universe to this day."

"You're still speaking of fables, littlest star? It's a story—it's _only_ a story!" I froze, because it suddenly came to me. I had an epiphany in the form of a memory:

 _"_ _Though it's not explicitly stated, I've read the script, and I believe that the lesson to be drawn is that history makes its mark. It moves in an endless loop and can trap anyone in it. Knowing what's behind you, then, can help you not make the mistakes of your ancestors, and to move forward in life."_

"Makarov _knows,_ " I murmured. "Natsu…don't you see? _We're the idiots here._ "

"You're one to talk," he muttered. I shook my head vigorously and skipped away from him. He watched me carefully as he pushed himself to his feet, wincing as he bent his arms.

"George Santayana once said: 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' Natsu, we've been fighting and fighting and fighting for eons, and why? Why do we fight? It's because of Mavis and Zeref!" I said to him. "They've made their mistakes as all do, but we never learned from them. Hell, we've never learned from our _own_ mistakes!"

"What are you getting at?" he stated flatly.

"I'm saying fighting isn't the answer." He stared for a moment before laughing aloud.

"Ha! Now that's rich, coming from you."

"I'm serious!" I fumed. His laughter died away until it was only his eyes following me, and he started a slow and purposeful stalk across the stage.

"The answer, I believe, is what we've been doing." With each step, the wood rotted and collapsed beneath him, creating ominous snapping noises that startled Fairy Tail and the guests alike. I was surprised that his clothes held up as long as they had. His eyes glittered with unshed tears. "You wanted to play with me? Then fine, you'll get what you asked for." _He's hurt, on the inside,_ I thought. _And the only way he can think of remedying himself is by hurting me in turn._ He never got to be with humans, never got to _be_ a human, and neither the stars nor I have done anything to fix that.

"You've made mistakes," I said quietly as he drew near, "and so have I, so have the stars. But now, I want to make right with the universe. I'm going to do what Mavis and Zeref should've done millennia ago, and what _I_ should've done months ago." He stopped right in front of me and raised his arm. I didn't know what he wanted to do and I never found out, because then I grabbed his hand, claws and all, and intertwined our fingers.

"Natsu," I said, bringing wide emerald eyes to mine. I was reminded of when he saw the cows, of when I offered him food, and of thousands of little moments after as we rehearsed. "No matter what has been said and done between us, my heart has made its decision." I put my other hand on his cheek, feeling my skin warm in contact with his, but neither of us flinched away. It felt as if we were in a private space bubble away from it all—the stage, the audience, everything but the two of us was gone. "Now, and always, I will love you."

And I kissed him.

"Lucy," he murmured against my lips, his breath coming out in warm, quick pants. "T…Thank you…" He put his other hand around my waist, and tugged, pulling my body flush against his, and tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Warmth spread out between us, almost painful in its intensity, and I feared we would be reduced to nothingness, but as I clung to him, I felt the void-like presence of his Dark Magic whittle away until there was nothing but smooth skin beneath my grip. The remains of my armor melted into light so bright that it blinded us of all else. As I blinked into the brilliance, I saw another girl staring at me. Long, pale hair curled to her bare feet, and her teal eyes brightened with her smile as she bounded over and wrapped her arms around me.

"Thank you," she whispered, and all at once, I understood that I was seeing Mavis.

"Thank _you._ " She disappeared into a flurry of lights like little fairies, and across from me, a dark form dressed in black robes with a white sash was murmuring into Natsu's ears. He turned to regard me with eyes as black as the night, then gave a serene smile before he melted into several ink blots that faded into the glow. The lights coalesced and shot up towards the ceiling before bursting. It fell over us and the stage like golden rain, and Natsu pulled away to bask in the shimmering light. "It feels…warm," he whispered, awed. "The good warm."

"It's the warmth of the stars," I said. And if I squinted into their brightness, I was certain I could see my old friends' smiling faces within the radiance, watching from the heavens. The sight brought tears to my eyes, and I laughed. When I looked down, I saw that the remains of our magic had vanished, the scratches and holes gone from the stage.

"Well," Natsu said loudly, "I guess that's all, folks." He took my arm and linked it with his. "That was our, ahem, _special_ performance, _The Stars Against the Night._ There was no winner, but there doesn't always gotta be one, amiright?" And he pulled me into his subsequent bow.

The building erupted with applause and shouts.

"That was amazing!"

"It was so real!"

"The emotions—wow, those guys were really into it!"

"The special effects were off the chain!"

"You guys rock!"

"Cool!"

We had a standing ovation, the sight of which made me blush, but Natsu grinned and held onto me to keep me from running.

Afterwards, of course we were bombarded with questions from the other Fairy Tail members. I shifted uneasily until Natsu gave an annoyed grumble and, in the span of two sentences, conveyed our eons of struggling. I found it to be a ridiculous underestimation, but his closing statement, "And now we kissed so it's happy ever after and shit again," made me laugh hard enough to let it go.

"So, if you two…reincarnated…at the same time," Gray said slowly, trying to wrap his head around it, but everyone was a little confused, "where were you when we found Luc…Lucida?"

"Lucy is fine."

"I was in the bushes," Natsu said with a sheepish smile. "I, uh, your car scared me."

"Speaking of, how did you know they were coming?" I asked him.

"My hearing and smell stayed the same," he shrugged. "I forgot to tell you?"

"You idiot."

"I'm _your_ idiot," he countered with a grin. They kept up with the questions until Makarov finally called us to the privacy of his office, and good—I needed to ask _him_ some questions.

"You knew," I said as soon as the door shut. "You knew about us, about Mavis and Zeref…how?"

"An…old friend told me," Makarov said with a smile. "She's gone, now that her last task of this world has been completed, as is her lover."

"Mavis and Zeref have been here all this time?" I asked incredulously.

"Their spirits, more like. Their arguments left them unsatisfied even upon their deathbeds, and for eons they've watched their troubles become the troubles of two like them—you and Natsu." He waved a hand at us before folding them atop his desk. "But now, I believe they will rest in peace."

"So will we," Natsu said before I could speak, throwing an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. "Because, ah…whatcha say, Luce? Those who condemn history don't know it so they retake it…?"

"Not even close," I sighed. "Mr. Dreyar—"

"Makarov," he amended.

"Makarov, does this mean that we're fine now?"

"You're entirely human, if that's what you mean. The last vestiges of magic are gone from both of you. You're no longer bound by your fates—you're free to live life as you wish, my children," he said with a grin.

"Then…I choose to live my life with Natsu, as long as that will be."

"Just the same," Natsu said with a soft smile. "I never knew that love could be a real thing, not twisted or nothing like that, but now, I wanna hold onto what I got with Lucy and never let it go. Damn, I sound like a stupid poetry book, don't I?"

"Don't worry, I don't love you any less for it," I smiled, touching his cheek. He grasped my hand and closed his eyes, leaning into my touch.

"This is a beautiful thing…touching," he murmured. "And to think I've gotta whole life to touch and experience…"

Makarov stood and regarded us both with a wide smile. "You've broken free from the hold that old history had on you," he said, glancing out his window at the sunny, cloudless sky before going past us and opening the door. "Now you two can make new history. _Your_ history."

* * *

 **Author's Note -** Not only is this the longest in Dragon Taming, but this is also the longest one-shot I've ever written, capping at over sixteen thousand words! I want to thank everyone that's stayed with me through slow updates, but...I guess you can kinda see why it takes a long time...and thanks for all that have read, reviewed/commented on this story!


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